Paragon II: A Broken Heart
by JustAFerret
Summary: Tali lost the love of her life. Now she has to return to the Migrant Fleet and do whatever she can to carry on Shepard's work. Slight AU.
1. Chapter 1

**I really hope this new version will come out better. This time, Tali is going to stay in the spotlight. My OC isn't. Maybe he'll get a few mentions but as far as reappearing, no. The first chapter of the old version was suitable enough as a chapter for this one so if you read it, just wait until I bring out the next one.**

Paragon II: A Broken Heart

Chapter 1: Closing Days

Commander Shepard leaned against the wall of the elevator as it descended down into the wards. He had just finished his meeting with the council on the presidium. It had been three days since Saren's attack on the Citadel, causing all of citadel space to be shaken to their core.

The meeting had gone rather quickly. The council had thanked him for his service, mourned the loss of so many alliance soldiers and, surprisingly, offered humanity a seat on the council.

The council had asked Shepard for his opinion, but to him, it was just another way to try to make up for not listening to him before.

_Atleast they asked._

The elevator wasn't humming it's usual music or informing him of recent events. Like so many other things, the geth had destroyed a great deal of electronics and locations. Wreckage was trying to be cleared nonstop and C-Sec had suffered heavy losses. It was a miracle that the elevators were moving at all.

It came to a sudden stop and the doors strained to open. Once they did, Shepard stepped outside and scanned the C-Sec academy. There were numerous C-Sec officers trying to get organized enough to go help any trapped civilians or to clear out debris.

Shepard wiped off some dust from his Colossus armor and stepped down the stairs toward the elevator. As he passed by he could hear all of the C-Sec officers whispering to each other about a variety of things.

_"Aaron didn't make it."_

_"Tayseri Ward got the worst from what I hear."_

_"If it wasn't for that building collapsing, I'd be dead by now."_

_"Sorry Mindus, but the soccer game was cancelled."_

Shepard stepped into the elevator that would take him to the docking bay and pressed the button. He leaned against the elevator wall again and rubbed his nose bridge.

He had been feeling stressed the last few days. The thought of Saren succeeding and the galaxy being destroyed had haunted him before Ilos. It was a huge relief to him when Sovereign was destroyed, despite having to dodge large pieces of it.

When they reached Ilos, Shepared decided to bring along the people who he felt were the better trained for this, Garrus and Tali. They had fought their way through masses of geth and reached what they had been looking for, the Conduit.

On the way, they had met a prothean AI named Vigil, who told them about the prothean extinction and gave Shepard a file that was invaluable to Sovereign's destruction.

The three had went through the conduit and appeared on the citadel presidium. They fought past mroe geth and krogan and made it to the citadel tower, where they confronted Saren.

Shepard was able to convince Saren about his misdoings and he was able to break the indoctrination momentarily. Saren thanked him then shot himself in the head, ensuring that he would never be the reaper's pawn again. Or so he hoped.

After Shepard had uploaded the file he decided to save the council but Saren's corpse had been reanimated by Sovereign. He had transformed into a monstrous form of his former self. Shepard defeated it and was fianlly able to breath easy, right after he dodged a large piece of Sovereign.

_I really hope that I won't have to see another geth for a long time._

"Commander? It's Anderson." he said on the comms.

"What is it, Anderson?" Shepard said.

"We finished our meeting with the council. They have a new assignment for you." he said.

"Another one? I was hoping to get a little break after everything." Shepard said.

_Then again, I am a spectre._

"The council wants you to take care of the last pockets of geth resistance. They're trying to quell any unrest with the attack." Anderson explained.

_Well, great._

"Where should I start?" Shepard asked as the elevator stopped.

"The terminus systems mostly. Any geth outposts in citadel space have been wiped out by now." Anderson said.

"Alright, then. I don't really know how this is going to turn out. I don't know if my squad will be leaving." Shepard admitted.

"What makes you say that?"

"Garrus, the C-Sec officer, promised me that he was going to go back to C-Sec and enlist for spectre training, the asari on my team might leave too, but I'm not so sure, but I know for a fact that Tali is leaving." Shepard said.

"She completed her pilgrimage?" Anderson asked.

"Yeah...finding her gift was a stroke of luck." Shepard said. Even though he trusted Anderson, he didn't think telling him what exactly her gift was would be necessary.

"So you won't have numbers on your side, but remember Shepard, even three of you can take down a geth outpost without any casualties. Hell, it only took three of you to get to Saren on the Citadel."Anderson said.

"You're right. It's just going to be weird having only two squad members with me." Shepard said, stepping out of the elevator.

"You've done this before Shepard. Make everyone proud." Anderson said encouragingly, dropping the line. Shepard watched the Normandy as he neared the airlock. He was proud to have served on this ship and be her captain.

He stepped inside and the decon cycle began, but as it finished, the door slid open, showing Wrex with his guns on his back and a small case in his hand.

"Going somewhere?" Shepard asked. Wrex sighed then eyed Shepard.

"We tore Saren's head off, massacred an army of geth, and blew up a giant ship. Heh, I didn't expect something _that_ fun when I decided to join you." he said. He looked down at the case he was holding then back up at Shepard.

"But I've got other things to do. Our talks have given me an idea and I need to leave. I need to set my people straight or make them fall in line." he said.

Shepard was glad that Wrex was going to try to help his people but also a bit sad that he lost yet another member of his squad.

"Alright Wrex, it's your choice. It was good having you on as part of the crew." Shepard said. They shook hands and Wrex exited the airlock.

"Better watch Garrus. He starts mouthing off to a krogan again, he's going to get a lot more than a simple back talk." Wrex chuckled, looking back at Shepard.

Shepard stpped into the airlock and the decon cycle began.

_So now I'm left with just Chief Williams. Hope I really don't lose anyone._

The inner door opened and Shepard was surprised to see both Tali and Garrus there.

"Shepard." Garrus greeted. Both of them were also in Colossus armor. Shepard had to save a large amount of money to get everyone in the squad a set.

"Garrus, Tali, is there something you guys need?" Shepard asked.

"Shepard, we've been talking and.." Garrus started.

"We've decided to stay. There is still the threat of the remaining geth. We have to ensure that they won't be a problem anymore." Tali finished.

"You're staying, Tali? What about your pilgrimage?" Shepard asked.

"I will still go back to the Migrant Fleet, but it's my obligation to make sure the galaxy is free from the geth first. I'm not leaving yet, Shepard, there's still work that needs to be done." she replied confidently.

Shepard inwardly smiled then replied in a much more relieved tone.

"Well, Anderson told me that we need to sweep up a few remaining geth in the terminus systems. We'll go there in a few hours. I want you guys to gear up and meet me in the cargo bay at 1800 hours." Shepard said. The two of them nodded and began walking down the walkway.

Shepard suddenly grabbed Tali's wrist and gently pulled her over to him.

"Now tell me the real reason." he asked. Tali's eyes went wide and she began to wring her hands.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Shepard. I told you the reason I'm staying." she stuttered.

Shepard quietly chuckled then replied.

"Tali, I saw the look in your eye when you said you were going back to the fleet after I gave you the data. You were comitted to it. Why back out now?" he asked sincerely.

Tali frantically searched her mind for a reasonable answer. She hoped that she wouldn't have to use the real reason.

"I...uh...it's because...the geth. They...their bases are-" she stuttered. She suddenly felt warm hands on her shoulders and looked up.

"Tali, whatever your reason is for staying, you can keep under your hat...er...hood. You don't have to explain yourself to me. I was only curious." Shepard assured. With that, he let go of her shoulders and passed by her down the walkway. She watched him go then looked down at the floor, wringing her hands. She found herself wanting Shepard to keep his hands on her.

_Keelah, I hope I'll be able to tell him soon. But, what if he rejects me? What if he can't see behind my mask? Oh, Keelah give me guidance._

She shook those thoughts out of her head then walked down the walkway. Thinking about those sort of things weren't going to help her. She knew deep down that it was impossible for her to be anymore than a friend to him.

She walked down the stairs and into the elevator. As it descended into the cargo bay, she began to think over all the time she had spent with Shepard. Throughout the entire time she'd been there, he had treated so well, like an equal.

When she told him about it, she began to feel very warm and it felt like she had butterflies in her stomach. She was blushing so furiously that she was sure that Shepard could see it.

A large part of her wanted to see him before Ilos, to tell him how much he meant to her before it was too late, but in the end, she refused. She had heard rumors that Shepard and Liara were together. It tore her heart out and she didn't want to go into his room only to find out that the rumor may be true.

_Snap out of it, Tali. You can't assume things until they happen right in front of you. Besides, you have more time here, and hopefully, more time with Shepard. Even if it's on a friend level._

The elevator stopped and the door slowly opened. She stepped out and moved towards her locker. Chief Williams was at her customary position at the workbench, cleaning and repairing rifles.

She always felt a little uncomfortable around Ashley. Mostly because of the fact that she didn't trust aliens. Another, smaller reason was that she had seen the way Ashley looked at Shepard. She felt the exact same thing that Tali did.

She opened her locker and looked over her things. She didn't have a lot of personal items, aside from a picture of her father and mother and a picture that was taken on the presidum with the entire squad.

She briefly smiled at the picture, remembering all of the good times they had together. It was a shame that eventually they had to part ways.

She then picked up her shotgun and looked it over. It was the most advance shotgun she had ever seen. A Spectre shotgun that Shepard gave her. It was the one of the greatest gifts she had ever recieved. And it only made her appreciate him even more.

She put it back in her locker and closed it. She deeply sighed then went into Engineering to drown herself in routine maintenance work.

...

Shepard stared at the terminal next to his bed. He wasn't really reading what was on it. He was deep in his thoughts. He was thinking about the same things that he usually thought about when he was left alone. The fact that he had strong feelings for Tali.

He's had them for a while. Since they came back from Therum, he felt a warm glow everytime he talked with her; a feeling of calm and peace. It surrounded her like an aura.

There were so many qualities about her that Shepard loved, mostly her milky white eyes. They always made him feel happy whenever he stared deep into them. He could always tell what she was feeling just by looking at them.

She was modest and selfless. The most sefless person he ever knew. She was kind-hearted and she always had hope despite being in the darkest hour. Her spirit is almost unheard of among humans. She believed in him more than anyone else.

For those reasons and so many more are why Shepard became attracted to her. And he knew that the feelings would only grow. He knew what he had to do, but he didn't know when to do it. He sat up from his desk and laid down in bed, trying to get some sleep.

"Hell, I'd probably sleep better if she were here." he quietly joked to himself.

He gave a small sigh then closed his eyes. Eventually, he slept, but not before one final thought.

_I have to tell her soon until it's too late._

**Next chapter is when things take a totally different turn then what I did last time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I've run the plot over and over in my head and I have to say that this is going to be rather...short, I'm sorry to say. But I'm going to make up for it. The story will be short but I promise you that the series won't. Trust me.**

**Sergius: Yup. Tali is in about 98% of this chapter. I'm rather proud of this one to be honest. :)**

Chapter 2: Goodbye

Even though Tali was working on maintenance, her mind was somewhere else completely. The soft hum of the ship's drive kept her mind relaxed and calm. Her fingers flew over her console, hitting every button with calculated efficiency.

By now, she wasn't surprised about who she was thinking about. The first thing she thought about every day was Shepard. It led to countless hours of daydreaming, but nobody ever noticed. Well, almost nobody.

Around the time when she began to develop feelings for Shepard, Garrus had taken notice of it. He would often tease her about it behind Shepard's back whenever they went out somewhere. The teasing of course made her feel embarassed. That's why she would often stay a little farther from Shepard so that he wasn't able to hear the cracks that Garrus made about them. She silently thanked the ancestors that Shepard never heard them.

"Dropping out of FTL. Brace for deceleration." Joker said over the loudspeaker. A few engineers began to tap wildly on their consoles, stabilizing the core. Everyone felt a sudden jerk as the Normandy came out of FTL.

Tali stopped typing on her terminal and stretched, hearing quiet pops in her back. She had been working for a good eight hours straight, but she didn't fret. It was common on the flotilla for quarians to work continuously for long hours.

She left her station and walked out of the engineering room to retrieve a food paste tube from her locker. She hadn't eaten for about as long as she had worked.

She casually walked into the cargo bay. It was a little more empty now that Wrex had left. Garrus was in his customary position next to the Mako, Williams wasn't here though. She was probably up in the CIC.

The Alliance requisition officer was talking to someone on his omni-tool. It sounded like it may have been his wife.

Tali moved to her locker and opened it. She didn't have a lot of things. Besides her weapons, two holos of her family and of the squad, and a couple of medication bottles in case her suit was ever breached, her locker was completely empty.

All her life she was raised in a place where you only kept what was necessary. That you needed as much space as possible for essentials. That lesson had carried on with her well into her pilgrimage.

She reached for a food tube in the corner of the locker, wanting nothing more than to eat and get back to work.

...

Shepard was sitting at his desk in his quarters. He reached for his cup of coffee and read over the numerous reports he was given before they left the Citadel. Among them was Ashley's recommendation for a promotion. She had performed exceptionally well during their mission and deserved as much.

He took a sip of his coffee and stuck his tongue out.

_Needs more creamer._

He stood up and walked out of his quarters, coffe in hand. He was wearing his N7 armor since they were going back to the Citadel soon for an interview. Of course, the council was probably going to make him give either false information or too little, leaving everyone speculating about the events on the Citadel and his current task.

He turned the corner around his quarters and stopped, watching the empty place where Kaidan usually was. It was hard to condemn him to death, despite Kaidan saying he didn't regret a thing. Shepard would occasionally think about it, but he always affirmed that he made the right choice, if there was one.

He pushed the thoughts out of his head and moved towards a small cabinet against the wall. He pulled open a shelf and grabbed a bottle of creamer.

"Brace for evasive manuevers!"

Shepard's finely honed instincts kicked in and he dropped the cup of coffee and the creamer and grabbed the cabinet. The ship rocked violently as the walls were suddenly aflame. The ship was under attack, but how? The stealth systems were engaged.

But now that the Normandy lost the element of surprise, they needed to act now. Shepard ran towards the sleeper pods and stopped in front of the wall at the end. Behind him, he could hear people panicking and screaming.

The ship was hit again and more explosions erupted within the ship. The Normandy wasn't going to make it, as much as it pained him to admit. He pressed a button next to a sleeper pod and a holo-screen appeared before him.

He hastily typed a few keys and pressed a large green button.

_Distress beacon: Active_

His foot suddenly hit against something and he realized that he had left his helmet here. he grabbed it and turned it over.

_Never know when the ship will decompress._

The helmet was just over his head when he heard someone behind him

"Shepard!"

...

Tali grabbed the locker for support as the ship shook in odd directions. Fire had erupted like pillars from underneath them. She frantically looked around and saw Garrus running towards the dead Alliance requisition officer.

Her mind raced with thoughts. How could the Normandy have been attacked? Was Shepard okay? Weren't the stealth systems on?

"Tali, we gotta go now!" Garrus shouted from across the room. Tali hesitated then quickly grabbed her shotgun. The elevator suddenly exploded in front of her, knocking her on her back as a wave of heat overtook her. Her ears ringed and she hadn't the slightest clue where she was.

Her mind went numb. She absently moved her hand across the burning floor. She had lost all the energy to push herself up. A small part of her mind nagged at her to get back up but she just felt tired.

Garrus grabbed her hand and pulled her up. Her knees were barely able to support her. The Normandy was crumbling all around them, more and more pieces began to fall from the ceiling.

"Tali, Tali! Snap out of it!"

Garrus firmly patted her helmet, trying to get her attention. Her eyes finally centered and she vigouraously shook her head.

"I-I'm fine. What's going on? What do we do?"

"Calm down, Tali. How ever hard that might be." he muttered under his breath.

"Garrus, Tali, come on! Shepard ordered us to evacuate the ship!" Adams shouted from the engineering room.

"Evacuate the ship?" Tali said in disbelief.

_Oh Shepard please be okay._

"The elevator's down, Adams, how are we going to get out of here?" Garrus shouted, his voice could barely be heard over the explosions.

"There's a ladder behind the wall in here. Come on!"

Both of them raced to the engineering room. They were about to make it until a steel beam crashed in front of them, blocking their path. They ran back and made it to the other door and ran inside.

The core was a mess. Instead of it's peaceful and vibrant blue, it was an alarming and panicking red. The machinery moved in a haphazard way; going one way then spontaneously going the other.

Alarms were going off everywhere. Only two engineers were actually trying to keep the core from meltdown.

Adams wasn't far from them. He was at the front of the wall that sepaerated the two entrances to engineering.

"Adams! We can't hold it much longer! The core...it's compromised." an engineer said. The core shut down then exploded in a giant fireball. Everyone was thrown down to the ground. Tali hit the wall hard and fell in a slump on the floor.

She rubbed the back of her head and groaned. Her back started to ache and she needed to catch her breath.

"No, there is no way!" an engineer sputtered.

"What is it Jefferey?" Adams groaned

"Sarah, she's...she's gone."

Tali looked up and was equally horrified. The woman that had just told them that the core was compromised had literally vanished without a trace along with half of the engineering platform.

"Mayday, Mayday, this is SSV Normandy!"

"God rest her soul but we have to go now, Jefferey." Adams mumbled. He brought up his omni-tool and pressed a few buttons. The steel wall creaked open and a ladder was waiting for them.

Adams was the first to go up, followed by Garrus, then Tali, the rest followed her after that.

"We've suffered heavy damage from an unknown enemy!"

Adams reached the top and heard what sounded like something running over the floor tile. It must've been someone leaving at the last second. Adams pushed the floor tile up and peeked around. They were right in front of the staircases.

"Come on baby, hold together, hold together."

"Over there!" Adams pointed. He climbed out and over to the wall next to the left staircase. He brought up his omni-tool again and the wall slid open. Inside was an escape pod. Adams opened the latch and crawled inside. Within the space of a few seconds, everyone got inside.

Garrus shut the door and Adams launched the pod. It lurched forward and fired out of the Normandy. Adams pressed a button on a console on the end of the escape pod.

A screen turned on and a view of the destroyed Normandy appeared. It was engulfed in fire and a whole section of the roof was missing.

_Keelah, I hope Shepard got out._

The ship was hit again by enormous yellow lasers, ripping out large pieces of the Normandy. Nobody could see where the shots were coming from. The Normandy took one final blast before it fell apart and exploded. Pieces of metal flew everywhere and the fire consumed the ship's corpse.

Garrus sighed sadly and opened his own omni-tool. He attempted to contact any other escape pods. His radio crackled to life and he talked through it.

"Anyone else out there? Shepard? Ashley?"

"Garrus, it's Liara, I'm glad you survived. Is there anyone else with you?" she said with relief obvious in her voice.

"Tali, Adams, and some other engineers are with me. Is Shepard or Ashley with you?"

"Garrus!" Ashley suddenly said. "It's good to hear you guys are alive."

"Same here, Ash. Where's Shepard?"

Deep down, Tali wanted nothing more than to hear Shepard survive their ordeal. That's all she wanted to hear. And that was all she needed to be at peace even during this stressful time.

"Last I saw him, he was going after Joker. I think he's okay, I saw the escape pod near the bridge go out. I thnk they're both in there." Ashley said. A huge amount of relief swept of Tali. She suddenly realized that she had been holding her breath and relaxed.

Garrus' radio clicked again and the exhausted voice of Joker took over.

"Guys, I-I just got in here. Shepard...he's...gone. He sacrificed himself to save me. He's gone."

Tali's whole world came crashing down. For a second, she felt like she wasn't even there. Her brain just didn't want to work. Then a knife of emotion ripped through her heart.

"No...no no no no no." she gasped. She put her hands on her visor and tried her best to hold the tears back. But they soon came. She took short shallow breaths as the tears continued to fall down her cheeks.

"He...he can't be dead can he?" Liara choked.

"I saw it myself. That damn ship blew him away from the pod. He launched it before he was knocked away by the explosion." Joker said.

"Why?" Tali whispered. How could he? He survived so many things only to be killed by someone who never showed themselves. It wasn't fair. He deserved to live, more than anyone else.

She never told him. Never told him how she felt about him. And it was today when she finally drew enough courage to go up to his quarters and talk to him about it. Why did those bosh'tets have to come? Why did they have to kill him? They took away that chance.

They took away the chance for her to tell him that she loved him.

...

Shepard desperately grabbed the punctured hoses on the back of his helmet. No matter what he did, air was still sliding through his fingers. It was getting harder to breath and his head began to hurt. He felt himself gaining speed as he neared the planet below. It wasn't only a matter of a few minutes before he died.

It seemed ironic that he died without a fight. He was forced to fight for his survival, twice. And he still continued to fight for survival. Now he was dying and he never even saw who it was that killed him.

He suddenly couldn't breath. The air was gone. Now the only thing that was waiting for him was death. He didn't want it to end like this. He still needed to tell her. But now, their chances of being together were gone.

He let go of the hoses and let himself die. There was nothing he could do. The last good thing he could do for himself was to let his last thought be a pleasant one.

With his last breath of air, he choked out the name that meant so much to him. The name that would always bring him a sense of peace and happiness.

"Tali..."

* * *

><p><strong>Well there you go. Hope you guys enjoyed it and hope you give me some feedback. I'll work hard to get the next chapter out. Ferret out<strong>

**:)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Two things. One, I decided at the last minute that Klenon will get an appearence albeit it's a small one. After that, he's gone. Two, yes this chapter's short, but the end will probably leave you with your eyes balling out, hoping for the best. I won't spoil anything beyond that. **

**Sergius: I'm going along with that, yes. I'm going to dip a little into her life after this event. How exciting. :)**

**Mapped: Maybe you should try that hanar merchant on Noveria. His prices seemed like a rip-off to me. Those hanar are all racist!**

**Hawk: What? Now way! You're SI was good! Wait, are you playing with me? All joking aside though, your SI is good and I can't wait for your next chapter. Cheers!**

Chapter 3: Out of The Frying Pan

"Tali...Tali, are you okay?" Garrus whispered to her. He tried to be as gentle with her as possible. Her sobs had lessened to a few sniffles, but her pain still radiated around her.

"No." she breathed. Her tears had dried, but her eyes itched. "I'm not okay."

"It's alright, Tali. I understand." Garrus said. He looked up and hoped somebody would help him comfort her. Engineer Adams, who was sitting across from them thankfully spoke up.

"Tali, I know that it's hard to lose someone like the commander. I know it's hard to lose someone that you look up to and has rescued you." he said with a calm composure that hid his own grief. "But time heals all wounds. None of us will forget him, I promise you."

Adams' words made her feel a little better but the pain of losing Shepard still lingered in her mind. She was never going to recover from something like this.

"Thank you." she mumbled. She took a deep breath to calm herself and put a hand on her visor.

"So...what do we do now?" Jefferey asked.

"We wait until the Alliance comes and picks us up. They need to know about what happened to Shepard. And the Normandy." Ashley said sadly.

"And to everyone else who died." Adams added.

"How long will that take?" Garrus asked.

"I don't know. It could take a while before they come and get us. The damn Terminus Systems always makes them hesitate before going in. This time isn't going to be any different." she rubbed her forehead.

"Maybe I could..." Tali abruptly stopped, checking her omni-tool. She pressed a button and began sending a message.

"What are you doing?" Garrus turned to Tali.

"Wait." she said, holding up her finger. A small amount of hope grew in her as she pressed the 'send' button and turned off her omni-tool.

_I hope he gets this._

...

A few minutes passed by until Tali's omni-tool beeped. She eagerly opened it and read the message. She read the message intently and her eyes widened. Her breathing slowed as she read what was written.

_I...How could-I thought this would work._

Tali turned off her omni-tool and hung her head. Another tear fell from her eye in sorrow. It seemed that nothing was going their way.

...

"Are you sure that this is the right thing to do, Vero?" Klenon asked as he closed his omni-tool. The mere thought of abandoning Tali again made him feel sick.

"Klenon, I understand that Tali is important to the fleet, and I understand that you are still attached to it, but the Enclave is still in dire need of reconstruction. And they need you to lead them." Vero insisted. Klenon put a hand on his helmet and propped it on the table.

"I don't like this. Not one bit." Klenon muttered. He leaned back in his seat and sighed. Being the administrator became harder as time went on. Obligations had to be kept and Klenon couldn't afford to go after her.

"Klenon, I know. It's part of the job of being the administrator. You have to compromise things." Vero said.

"But this...I can't compromise something like this!" Klenon argued. Vero kept his composure calmed and replied "As unfortunate as it is, that ship will most likely have someone looking for it. She'll be fine, Klenon. I bet that her father will use his power to send a ship after her. Trust me, Klenon, everything will turn out for the better."

Klenon knew that he was right. A father would do anything to save his daughter. But then again, he saw how Rael had treated Tali before. A part of him doubted that he would go after her if it meant that the fleet would suffer.

But ultimately, Klenon had to keep the Enclave in check. Leaving now would result in a political field day. The last thing he needed on top of reconstruction was instabiliy in his chain of command. His sense of duty lead to his faliure as a friend to Tali.

_I'm sorry, Tali_

"Fine, Vero. We'll do it you're way. But this is going to cause problems in the fleet." he resigned. Vero just nodded and left his office.

He sifted through some documents and read a message on his terminal. The lead quarian researchers wanted to develop a new series of biotic amps. Klenon stroked his helmet's 'chin' before approving the funding.

He sifted through more reports, mostly having to do with agents inside the flotilla. He looked over a mission report and saw that the collectors on their planet were eliminated and agent Lia'Vael was on the Citadel.

_Hope she survives out there. Gangs are pretty rough and no C-Sec officer is going to help her._

Rivo walked up to him and put his paws on Klenon's lap, panting eagerly. Klenon patted him on the head affectionatly.

_Keelah, help Tali._

His head suddenly began to hurt as another migraine passed by him. He reached over and grabbed a bottle and inserted it in his helmet.

"Damn migraines are getting worse. Need to ask Arenia for something stronger." he whispered to himself as he touched his bond band on his arm.

...

"Tali, what's wrong. What's in the message?" Garrus asked as he leaned over.

"He can't make it. We're going to have to wait until the Alliance gets here." she said, turning off her omni-tool before Garrus could read it.

"Who won't?" Adams asked with intrigue.

"No one. We just need to wait here." she insisted. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes, hoping that some sleep could pass by the time. Noticing that others were thinking of doing the same, Garrus brought up his omni-tool.

"Ash, Liara, we're going to get some sleep over here. Contact us when the rescue gets here."

"Will do." Ashley replied.

Garrus closed his omni-tool and slumped against his seat. He let out a long, exhausted sigh and put a hand on his head fringe. It would still take a considerable amount of time before the Alliance arrived.

"Adams, do you need any rest? I'll wake you guys up when the rescue team arrives." Garrus offered.

"No, no. You go ahead and rest. You guys have been through the most and I'm accustomed to staying up for long hours." Adams replied with a sad smile. Garrus nodded and got into a somewhat comfortable position in his seat and leaned his head back.

"You sure? Everyone can use some sleep but I can go on." Garrus asked one final time.

"No, no, you go on. I'll be fine." Adams said. Garrus just nodded slowly and closed his eyes.

...

_Tali was sitting in the middle of a field, watching in awe the vast landscape. She knew where she was. She was on Rannoch, the home planet of the quarians. A planet that was occupied by the geth and the planet she wanted to return to._

_She wasn't wearing her helmet. She could feel the warm breeze on her face. It was magnificent. She couldn't help but smile at her luck. The quarians were getting their homeworld back, and the love of her life was in her arms. She looked down and saw Shepard looking back at her, his head resting on her lap._

_"This place is perfect isn't it?" Shepard said._

_"Yes, it is." Tali sighed_

_Shepard reached up and put a hand on her cheek, caressing it gently._

_"I never imagined that I'd be able to see your face, Tali." he said softly. Tali leaned into his hand and closed her eyes, basking in his warm touch._

_"What do you think?" she asked. Shepard smiled, tracing her jawline._

_"You're perfect."_

_Shepard sat up and gave her a long, passionate kiss. Tali slightly jumped from his impulsiveness but she immersed herself in his romantic gesture._

_"I wouldn't change a thing." he said huskily. Tali cupped his cheek and leaned her forehead agaisnt his. She gave a sigh full of love for the man in front of her._

_"I want this to last forever."_

_"I do too."_

_Shepard gave her another kiss. Tali was entranced by the way he massaged her tongue with his. She softly nibbled on his lower lip, making him laugh._

_"Enjoying yourself?" he smiled. His eyes never left hers. Tali suddenly pounced on him, knocking him back onto the soft grass with Tali on top of him. Tali kissed him on the cheek, she wanted to be as close to him as possible._

_Shepard wrapped his arms around her waist, running his hands up and down her back. Tali cupped his cheek and smiled as she smelled his scent._

_"Shepard, I've enjoyed every moment we've spent together. My heart is yours and I want nothing more than to be in your arms and hear your voice. You complete me. You make me the happiest woman in the world and... I don't know how to repay you." Tali said softly._

_"Tali, all I ever want from you is for you to be by my side." _

_Tali's smile grew wider and she snuggled next to him._

_"I'll never leave, Shepard. Never."_

_"Tali, you have to get up." Shepard said._

_"Not without you." she replied._

_"Adams, help me out here."_

_"Adams?" _

"Tali, Tali! Get up now! Somethings happening!" Garrus shouted. Tali's eyes shot open with alarm.

"Wha-what?"

"Tali, get your shotgun. Those things are back!" Adams exclaimed.

"How? They're back! How can they be back?" Tali shouted, now fully awake. She reached behind her back and unfolded her spectre shotgun.

"I don't know but it looks like they're coming back for seconds." Garrus replied.

"Joker, where do you see them? Where are they?" Adams asked on his omni-tool's radio.

"I think they're right above you guys." Joker replied.

"This isn't good. They're trying to make sure that nobody survives!" Garrus said. He reached for his pistol and loaded it.

"Keelah, w-what do we do?" Tali stammered. Garrus stared at ehr then looked down at the floor.

"I don't know. These things have an advanced kind of fire power. We won't get out of this alive." Garrus muttered.

"No. I won't die to these things. Not after what they did to Shepard!" Tali said confidently. She brought up her shotgun and aimed it at the escape pod's door, anxiously waiting for their unwanted guests.

_These bosh'tets are going to have hell to pay._

* * *

><p><strong>So, what'll happen, eh? eh? EH?<strong>

**Probably some shooting. That's what I assume.**


	4. Chapter 4

**This would have gone out sooner, but...you know what? I'll let you guys figure it out.**

**Sergius: Sure, I'll do a scene on Freedom's Progress. Anything to get some more content in this story. And believe me, I am going by my own lines. By the time we get to the good stuff, most of it is going to be my imagination. And by the time ME3 comes out, it's all going to be my imagination.**

**Hawk: They'll be back, they always come back.**

**Mapped: y u no enjoy this chapter? :)**

Chapter 4: Into Salvation

The escape pod shook and Tali momentarily lost her balance. The door suddenly sounded like it was being forced open. They wouldn't have long before whatever killed Shepard bursted through the hatch, and Tali was more than ready for them.

A blue and gray hand out from the doors and pulled them open. A frightning head of a husk poked in and screamed. Tali fired her shotgun and the husk's head ripped off.

The headless corpse toppled backwards and hit the floor, it's syenthetic blood dripping from it's neck.

Tali hesitated then stepped one foot outside the pod. She had no idea where they were. They were in what seemed to look like a giant hangar. It would have looked like any normal one were it not for the peculiar pods that were lined up against the walls.

Tali was about the take another step outside before Adams grabbed her by the arm.

"Tali, don't even think of going out there." he warned. She just stared at him until she responded.

"We have to find a way out of here. I'm not going to die to these things, not without a fight." she said firmly. Adams loosened his grip, but not completely.

"You don't know what's out there, Tali. For all we know, it could be more geth." he reasoned, hoping to appeal to the side of her that vilified geth. It worked, but not in the way he planned.

"Then we need to make sure that they are not going to be a problem to anyone ever again." she said.

"Tali, we can't go anywhere. If you leave then I have to go with you, and that would leave the rest of the crew vulnerable from any attack." Garrus argued.

"Then you stay here with them. I'll go find a way to get us out of here." Tali said. Garrus began to think that Tali was acting irrational from Shepard's death. He shook his head and replied.

"Tali, please, just take a deep breath and think clearly about what you're doing. Would Shepard want you to go out into a hostile ship by yourself? Would he want you to risk your own life when you're the most vulnerable out of all of us?"

Those words stung Tali. It made her think of how Shepard always protected her. How much he cared about her well-being.

"No," she whispered."he would want me to stay back. He would want me to be in a safe place."

Her resolve began to slightly falter. Shepard wouldn't want her to do this. He always thought of what was best for her. Almost as if...almost as if he cared not only for her safety, but as a person. Maybe...maybe he felt something intimate for her, but it didn't matter anymore. She'll never find out.

"But he taught me something. He taught me that if we want something to go our way, we have to do it ourselves and right now I want to live. The best way to honor Shepard is to remember what he taught all of us. I'm not going to disrespect him. Never." she said with passion escalating in her voice.

Garrus opened his mouth to say something but he couldn't think of anything that would convince her. She was dead set on doing whatever it was that she was planning.

"Tali I-"

"Garrus, you don't need to say anything. I know that you want me to stay here, but I won't. I won't let Shepard's sacrifice be in vain." Tali solemnly said. She stepped out of the pod and turned to the crew.

"I'm going to find a way to get us out of here. I'll be back later."

She closed the door to the escape pod after her sentence and turned to the wide-open hangar. She was going to find a way to free them, no matter the cost.

She hefted her shotgun up to her hands and looked back at the pods lined up against the walls. She quickly made up her mind and walked towards one of them. She stopped in front of it and held up a hand in front of the pod's orange glass.

The glass was making it hard for Tali to see inside. Part of her didn't even want to see what was inside, but her curiosity got the better of her. She wiped her hand on the glass and slowly pulled it back. A sickly green goo substance stuck to her glove.

Tali looked at the goo with disgust and wiped it on the pod. She looked back up and took a step back, startled.

A half melted face of a human was clearly seen on the glass. His one eye was rolled back into his head and his face was twisted in a silent scream of agony.

"Keelah..."

She walked back slowly, as if the human would attack her if she made any sudden move. The sound of a door opening echoed in the room and Tali turned to it's source. More husks staggered into the room. All of them had their attention on Tali.

"Come get me, bosh'tets." she said as she aimed her shotgun at the group. The husk at the head of the group let out a wail and ran towards her. Tali blew the legs off of one husk right from under it and shot the other one before it tried the grab her.

The last one got a hold of her arm. Tali instinctually reacted and pulled out her knife from her boot. In one swift motion she brought it over her head and stabbed straight down into the husk's skull.

The black blood streamed out of the husks head and a few drops landed on her visor. She strained to pull out the knife it came out, stained with the husk's blood.

Tali put the knife back in the sheath on her boot and walked towards the open door. There was a long hallway lit up by small holes of light.

The floor and walls looked as if they were made of stone. The entire hall was curved into a circle passage. The shrieking of tortured victims echoed in the long, imposing hallway. Tali gathered her wits and inched her way inside, the door slamming behind her.

Her boots clacked as she continued down the hall. There were no signs of life and the ship felt more empty than the Normandy did.

She stopped in front of a small door and pushed it open. The room was pitch dark. She entered with her shotgun leveled and carefully listened for any activity. A pair of arms wrapped around her neck and tackled her to the floor.

Both of them fell to the floor. Tali tried to kick the attacker off of her, but what ever it was, it was strong. Tali aimed her shotgun at the attacker and fired. She heard the distinct sound of blood hitting the wall, but whoever or whatever was attacking her didn't stop.

She fired her shotgun three times and was relieved when whatever attacked her had stopped. She didn't know what it was, but she didn't want to find out. She quickly retreated out of the room and sighed.

She knew that the Alliance was coming to rescue the survivors of the Normandy, but if she couldn't find a way to free their pod, they wouldn't. Their lives depended on her getting them out of here.

She stopped at the end of the hall where there was one large door. She kept her shotgun ready and kicked the door open.

The room was filled with hi-tech computers and technology. All of it seemed more advanced than what the geth could even hope to make. See all of it made a spark of confusion enter her mind.

_If it's not the geth attacking us, then who is?_

Keeping that thought, she moved to one of the nearby computers and cautiously pressed a few buttons. An interface appeared before her, displaying a language that she didn't understand.

She pressed a few more buttons and a green box appeared, a message in the same alien language. Deciding that she had nothing to lose, she pressed the box. A bar appeared that began to slowly fill.

She heard another shriek and spun around with her leveled shotgun. Something was standing in the middle of the hall and the lights in the hall were flickering.

Tali couldn't get a good look at the figure, but it was clear to her that it was humanoid and it's head was tilted downwards along with it's arms hanging loosely. Something was drippping from the figure's mouth as it began to shake. Just then she noticed the multiple holes in it's torso.

Tali realized that whatever it was, it was the thing that attacked her in the dark room. It was still alive!

"Keelah, what kind of place is this?"

As if the abomination heard her, it shot it's head up and let out a low groan. It shambled towards her with an outstretched hand. Tali could have pulled the trigger, but she found herself unable to as she watched the monstrosity move closer and closer towards her.

Before she knew it, it entered the room and Tali could finally see it. It wasn't a husk, it didn't have any indication of cybernetics, but the thing had to have been artificially made. Nature would not be so cruel as to create something like this.

It's skin was a leathery gray and it's eye were glazed. It had small, bumpy ridges on it's head and black bone protruded from it's wrists and shoulders. It opened it's mouth and let out another groan. It's teeth were black and dull and it's tongue was brown.

It continued inside the room, it's eyes fixated on Tali. She came to her senses and fired her shotgun. The pellet's ripped through the creature and took off it's entire shoulder. It's black blood splattered all over the floor.

The creature was taken aback by the blast but didn't even notice it's gaping hole. It turned it's head to her, it's face blank.

_How is that thing still alive? What horrible thing is this?_

To horrify her even more, the creature began to convulse erractically. It let out another groan as smoke emanated from it's eyes and mouth. Tali's eyes widened as she watched the creature begin to regenerate!

The holes in it's torso began to slowly shirnk as the skin began to rebuild itself. It's nearly severed arm began to reattach itself to it's body. Tali shot it again and left an impressionable hole in it's stomach.

Before she could load another round, that wound began to regenerate aswell. The severed arm began to make sickening cracks as it fully healed. The emotionless face of the monster turned into a face of utmost anger.

It raised it's arms and ran towards her. Tali lowered her aim and shot the creature's leg off. It collapsed in front of her, but it kept coming. Tali heard a beep and looked back. The bar had completely filled and she heard a noise come from the hangar.

The creature grabbed her leg and bit her armored boot. Tali yanked her leg from it's clutches and slammed it on the top of it's head. The creature hit the floor with a crack and didn't get back up.

Tali quickly left the room and ran down the hall back to the hangar. She had enough of this hell. The whole place seemed too surreal. She must've imagined whatever that thing was. She came to a quick stop at the hangar and noticed the escape pod looked like it was going to be ejected from the ship.

The door opened at Garrus stepped out. He quickly got sight of Tali.

"Tali, come on! I don't know what you did but whatever it was, it worked."

Tali rushed to the escape pod but heard the one thing she least wanted to hear. Another groan. She turned around and saw the same gray monster at the doorway, it's leg already regenerated.

"What the hell is that thing?" Garrus aimed his pistol at it.

"I don't know but it won't die!" Tali shouted as she fired another shell into the beast. She heard a crash and was met with a horrifying sight. All of the pods lined against the wall began to open, revealing more of those monsters.

"Spirits." Garrus said in awe and horror. He fired a perfect headshot on one of them and it's head shot back. It's head slowly came back up and the hole quickly healed. All of the creature's attention focused on them.

"Tali, get in here now!"

Tali walked backwards into the escape pod, pumping rounds into any monster getting close to them. Garrus joined, hoping to cripple any of them long enough for them to escape. More of them began to get closer, one of them even grabbing Garrus' arm. Tali shot the creature in the head and it flew back.

"How long does it take for this thing to be ejected!" Garrus shouted. He pulled the trigger of his pistol, but nothing came out. The pistol overheated. Tali shot one of them in the chest and turned to shoot another, but her weapon also made a clicking noise.

They were vulnerable now. They had no weapons and they hadn't killed a single one of these things. Garrus took Tali's shotgun and held it by the barrel and handle out in front of the creatures. They all began to pile at the pod's entrance, but Garrus held them back, using it as a makeshift barricade.

Tali rushed behind him and helped him push the creatures back, but they were losing the fight. Tali felt hands on her back and looked behind her. Adams was there, helping them push the creatures out. More and more of the crew got up and assisted them. All of them pushing the shotgun in front of them, barring the creature's from them. What was seconds seemed like hours as they continued to keep the creatures away from the pod.

"Keelah, how much longer?" Tali said with obvious strain in her voice. One of the creature's managed to grab her, but Garrus punched it in the face and knocked it back.

Tali heard a chime and the escape pod's door closed, but Garrus and Tali's arms were still in the way. Both of them reacted and pulled their arms back in, letting go of the shotgun. Tali gave it one last look before the door completely shut.

The pod shot out of the ship. They were finally away from that hell. Garrus' radio crackled and came to life.

"Garrus? Tali? Are you guys there. We lost your signal when you guys disappeared in that ship!" It was Ashley.

"Ash, we're here. We got out." Garrus said as he sat abck down as did the rest of the crew. Tali continued to just stand there, in silence.

The very first thing that Shepard ever gave her, her most prized possession, was now inside some god-forsaken hellhole. She lost something that was very dear to her. It was as if she was losing more and more of him.

"Thank god you guys are okay. We got a transmission from Alliance command. They're here, guys. We're going to be okay." she said.

Adams brought up his omni-tool and a view of outside appeared. To his aurprise, then ship they just ejected out of was gone. They barely left it a minute ago and now it disappeared.

"We are. Everything's going to be okay. It's over now." Adams said, shutting down his omni-tool.

Tali began wringing her hands as his words entered her mind.

_It's not over. Nothing will be okay. We're all doomed._

* * *

><p><strong>That's why. I needed to introduce a new monster. Took me a good while to come up with it. Hope you guys enjoyed it.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**I've picked up a few lessons from other sources and I have to say that this chapter marks the beginning of a new style of writing for me. So tell me what you guys think. I'll appreciate any feedback.**

Chapter 5: Never Forget

"Captain, the escape pods are about five clicks away. They are really scattered from each other from what I can see." James, the navigator of the cruiser Beijing, reported. The captain, Daphne Stello, walked up behind him, intently watching the radar scans.

"We have the time, James. Tell Gary to bring us close to the nearest pod for an extraction." she ordered. Her tone was firm but there was also a sense of compassion and understanding. A valued trait among captains of any ship.

"Yes ma'am." James replied with a grin. He was proud to serve under someone like her. She knew when to be serious and when to let herself have fun. He reached over and pressed the intercom button on his work terminal.

"Gary, the captain said to bring her in. Start with the nearest pod and work your way from there." he relayed. There was short pause until the pilot responded.

"Got it. Gotta say, I'mma little surprised that something like the Normandy bit the dust so quickly. I really didn't expect that when I woke up this morning." Gary commented.

"Same here, man. Well, atleast some people got out; hell maybe even Shepard. You could get his autograph."

"Shepard? Yeah, he definitely got out. He's a badass spectre that kills anything in his way." Gary said casually. "You never hear of a spectre dying."

"What about Saren?"

"That doesn't count. He went rogue then he got what was coming to him, and Shepard delivered it too." Gary rebutted with a wave of his hand. James laughed lightly then let go of the intercom button. He sat back with his hands behind his head and watched the small blip that was the first escape pod inch closer and closer to them.

...

Tali was slouching in her seat, her arms on her knees and head down. At this point, she didn't care if it was an uncomfortable postition. Right now she just wanted to get out of space and set her feet on solid ground. She had enough of aimlessly drifting in space to last a lifetime. Then again, that was what was waiting for her after she returned to the flotilla.

The entire escape pod was quiet. Nobody had anything to say and everyone was keeping to themselves, letting the horrors of the ship they were recently on sink in.

After they had escaped that vile ship, Tali retreated into her mind to find something to calm her down. Of course, it didn't take long. Not even a minute went by before she started to think about Shepard again and all the times they spent together. Some of it had to do with him helping her in one way or another, but most of it was about how they had their talks in the engineering room.

She was always happy to see him, even when it didn't seem like it. Everytime she turned around to meet him, he always had that lopsided grin on his face that she found cute. She remembered when she thanked him for treating him so well. He gave her a warm smile that made her heart melt.

When they had that talk, she was pouring her very soul into what she was saying. It was almost like she was declaring the love she had for him. She almost did too, but the rational part of her mind held out against her emotional, much to her disapproval.

She knew that he wasn't interested in her. It pained her to say it, but why would he be when there were others that could give him what she offered and so much more? She saw the looks that Ashley and Liara were giving him, though he never noticed. There were glimmers of want and desire in both of them, and they probably had the guts to tell Shepard.

Even if he was interested, there was no way it could last. She couldn't give him what he deserved and wanted. She was stuck in her suit and wouldn't be able to give him anything more intimate than a hug.

The thought brought up a familiar feeling. The feeling would come around sometimes but now she felt it stronger than ever. She hated her suit. No, 'hate' wasn't the right word. She _loathed _it. Her damn immune system had deprived her of everything. It deprived her of feeling something, anything on her fingers, it deprived her of being able to smell something's true fragrance, and most of all, it deprived her from being able to love Shepard.

Her fists clenched as the negative thoughts poured into her mind. There was no stopping them. She had fought hard to get to where she is now, but she felt that she could do so much more if her suit and immune system weren't in the way. And damn it, they're always in the way.

Tali felt miserable. Had she done something wrong in the past life to deserve a fate worse than hell? Having something so close to you, yet so far away and eventually having it ripped away from you so suddenly?

It was as if the gods had decided to use her for their amusment. To punish her after she had done everything she could to make other people's lives better, just so that they could get a cheap laugh or two.

Life wasn't fair, she knew that, but there's a fine line between unfair and down right cruel. And whatever divine force created the universe, it crossed it.

Tali brought her head up and propped it on her hand. She carefully observed the expressions on everyone else's faces. Garrus was looking towards the floor, but there was no emotion beyond that. Not even the knowlegde of being rescued seemed to change that.

Adams looked more affected by the news. He had the smallest smile on his face. Almost invisible if you weren't looking for it. His omni-tool made a loud beep and Adams opened it eagerly. All eyes were on him as he answered the transmission.

"Hello? This is chief engineer Adams of the Normandy."

There was another loud beep and the young voice of the Beijing's pilot entered the pod.

"Chief engineer Adams, this is Flight Sergeant Gary Towers of the cruiser Beijing, we read you. Stand by for extraction. It's good to see some of you made it out."

"Roger, Beijing, thanks for the help."

Adams dropped the line and rubbed the back of his neck. His voice had conveyed a tone of false-happiness to the pilot. Gary's comment about them making it out alive reminded him about who didn't.

"Thank you, Shepard. For everything."

...

Things for Tali had taken an unexpected turn. It had been a little over an hour since the cruiser picked them up. As soon as she boarded the ship, she was told to follow one of the Beijing's crewmembers. That crew member had led her to an empty room with a steel table and two chairs.

She had been sitting there ever since. She didn't know how long it had been since she came here. She asked the crewmember what this was about, but he just told her that it was standard procedure for something like this.

Tali's boredom led to her humming an old quarian song while gracefully tapping her fingers on the table. It was a song that her mother sang to her when she was a child. It always made her smile, but this time, her face was blank. At a time like this, nothing would make her happy it seemed.

Tali immediately perked up when she heard the door smoothly open. There was a woman in the doorway with an Alliance officer uniform. Her short hair was faded brown with a few noticable gray streaks. She had a weathered looked on her face and small wrinkles next to her eyes but she held it with an indomitable pride.

She walked with an air of authority to the empty chair and sat down with a datapad in hand. She briefly looked over it's contents before turning her piercing green eyes on Tali.

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya?" she asked.

"Y-yes."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet one of the defenders of the Citadel, miss Zorah." Daphne said with a cheery tone and a broad smile. She held out her hand over the table. Part of Daphne's mind chastised her for doing that. The quarian probably didn't know what it meant.

Tali studied her hand. She had seen the gesture before, when Shepard was inaugurated as humanity's first spectre. Anderson shook his hand with his. Tali assumed that it was for congratulating people, but maybe it was for greetings aswell.

Tali grabbed the hand and awkwardly shook it. Daphne was pleased that the quarian was actually familiar with the gesture.

"You've done a great service, not only to your people but to the Allaince aswell." Daphne said with a genuine smile. She skimmed over the information on her datapd and looked at Tali again with a more serious face.

"I've been given orders by Alliance Command that I have to interview every survivor of the Normandy. To try to get an idea of what happened." she said, while putting the datapad down.

Tali began to wring her hands and said, "I'll...try to answer your questions as best I can."

"Thank you. Let's begin shall we?" Daphne said. She picked up her datapad and read the first question listed.

"Can you tell me what happened during the attack? Do you know who attacked you?"

Tali ran all of her possible answers through her head. She wasn't able to see much, and she wasn't sure if telling her who attacked the Normandy would be the right thing to do.

"I-I guess I can tell you everything, but I didn't see much. I was in engineering, working on the drive core, doing some mundane maintenance. The ship just shook violently, it caught all of us off guard." Tali started. She watched as Daphne typed something on the datapad and her eyes looked up to Tali again.

"And we escaped the engineering deck through a ladder since the elevator was destroyed. On the way, we lost the Sarah Wilkins and the Alliance Requisition Officer. I never did get his name." Tali said more to herself than Daphne.

"That's alright. Whatever mission you were on, it was probably more important than getting to know aliens like us." Daphne dismissed. Tali was beginning to like this human, she reminded her a lot of Shepard.

Daphne put the datapad down and said, "Go ahead and continue, Tali. Take as much time as you need to."

Tali took a deep breath and went over the events that transpired.

"When we reached the top of the ladder, we climbed into the nearest escape pod and ejected from the Normandy, we had been drifting for...I don't even know how long." Tali deliberated.

"Okay, do you know who is responsible for attacking the Normandy? Can you give us any description of the ship or anything of that nature?"

Tali sighed. She didn't know what good could come out of it. Then again, she owed Shepard for everything. Not telling her the truth would insult Shepard's memory, and she would feel an immense amount of guilt, something she couldn't afford nor want to feel at a time like this. She didn't need a morbid state of mind.

But then again, she wasn't exactly sure _what _attacked them. At first, she thought it was the geth, but after what happened on the ship, she wasn't so sure. There were husks, but she couldn't explain what that regenerating abomination was or who made it.

She looked up and realized that Daphne was still patiently waiting for an answer. Tali finally decided that she would answer truthfully and leave it at that.

"I honestly don't know. I thought it was the geth, but now I'm not so sure. They never found us before, the fact that they could have now doesn't make any sense." she said. Daphne nodded and typed some more on her omni-tool.

"Do you have an idea about who died? Who didn't make it?" Daphne asked in a sincere voice.

Tali choked up at that question. It made her think of how she not only lost Shepard forever, but also the chance to be with them. The other deaths were on her mind aswell, but not as much as Shepard's was.

"As far as I know, Sarah and the requisitions officer died. And...and Shepard." Tali choked, wringing her hands.

"Sheapard? The spectre Shepard?"

Tali didn't reply, she just vigorously nodded her head, a single tear falling from her eye. A part of her just wanted this interview to be over so she could be alone with her thoughts again.

"I can't believe it. Someone like Shepard...thank you for telling me this. We'll make sure this won't go unoticed in the Alliance." Daphne assured. She really couldn't believe that Shepard was dead. He seemed so invincible and immovable. But the fact of the matter is, he was only human.

"Well, since your insight was limited, I have only one last thing to ask you: Where do you want to be dropped off after Shepard's funeral?"

Those words gave Tali pause. A funeral? She hadn't the slightest clue what that was.

"A-a funeral?"

"It's a ceremony that is meant to honor humans that have passed away. Seeing as you were part of his crew, I'm sure that he'd want you there." Daphne said softly to her. Tali thought over her words. A ceremony to honor Shepard? And she could attend? It seemed like the best thing to do for Tali to give her last respects.

"Yes, I'm sure he would." Tali spoke distantly. This would possibly be the last time they ever talked about the subject of Shepard. She had to make it count, she owed him that much.

Tali looked back up at Daphne and said, "Umm, if it isn't too much trouble, could you send me to the Migrant Fleet? I have buisness to attend to there."

Daphne understood her reason. She was on pilgrimage and likely found something worthy to bring back to the Migrant Fleet. She was glad that the young quarian had something to look forward to after all the sadness.

"Of course, it wouldn't be any trouble at all. I'll arrange for a ship that can take you there, assuming that the Migrant Fleet doesn't try to shoot it down." Daphne half-joked. Tali gave a small laugh. Her spirit needed to be lifted.

"No, I'll stop it before it comes to that. Once I give them the proper access code, they'll let us in without any trouble."

Daphne go out of her seat and put the datapad under her arm. She briefly glanced at Tali before exiting the room. Before the door closed, she looked back at her and said, "A member of the crew will be by shortly to take you to your temporary quarters. I suggest you get some rest. You'll likely need it."

The door shut before Tali could give a response. She had nothing left to do besides waiting for the crew member and get some rest. She had no doubt who she was going to dream about when she did.

...

Tali, Garrus, and Liara were all in an elevator heading for the presidium in a somewhat comfortable silence. The Beijing had landed on the Citadel a few hours ago and Ashley, along with the surviving crew of the Normandy had left early to begin preparations for Shepard's funeral. The others who didn't survive were having their funerals arranged by their families.

Tali wasn't able to get much sleep. It was a restless night. The few instances when she could didn't last long thanks to the hole in her heart. Everytime she slept, her dreams had been plagued by Shepard.

Most of them ended with him dying right in front of her. There was just one, however, that dealt with him being alive and much more importantly, they were together. It seemed like paradise, but when Tali woke up, she found herself wanting to give everything for that dream to be real.

That was the funny thing about dreams. Something unbelievable and joyful happens then when you least expect it, you wake up, feeling discontent with reality. That unexpected interupption made Tali feel even more sad

She imagined that Garrus and Liara were feeling the same thing, Liara more so. Tali never bothered to ask Liara how she felt, but she guess she would find out in the funeral.

The ceremony was exotic to her. Whenever a quarian died in the flotilla, they are put inside an old wooden box that wasn't needed and ousted out the airlock. There would be a small prayer to the ancestors and everyone would go about the rest of their day. Having a more meaningful ceremony was a breath of 'fresh' air to her. It meant that Shepard was going to get the respect he more than deserved.

The elevator slowly stopped, unveiling a surprisingly repaired presidium. The doors smootly opened and Liara took a deep breath.

"The atmosphere is much more relaxed than it was a few months ago. The Citadel's workers have impressive skill in getting the presidium back into working order." she commented.

"Even the most skilled repairmen couldn't repair the presidium this fast. It had to have been the keepers." Garrus said.

They all exited the elevator and continued down the walkway with a extravagant view of the lake. Tali walked slowly, keeping a hand on the rails as she listened to the soothing sound of a nearby fountain.

They soon stopped in front of a double door and Garrus pushed it open. He was surprised that there were only two rows of ten chairs side by side and a podium at the far end of the room. A red rug extended from the opposite side of the room to in front of the podium. To their left was another view of the tranquil lake.

In front of them was the Normandy crew, most of them had their eyes on them except for a select few that were looking at the floor, their faces written with distraught or apathy.

"Guys, we just got word from the council." Ashley said when she noticed them. She walked up to them and said, "They're going to downplay this whole thing."

Garrus' mouth hung open in disbelief. "What?" Tali had to do a double take on what she said. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. How dare the council try downplay Shepard's death?

"Why would they do something like that? Shepard deserved much more than this!" Tali shouted.

"I don't know. In their sick minds, they think that it;s for the best. They sold him out!" Ashley said through gritted teeth.

"Those ignorant BOSH'TETS!" Tali screamed.

She was obviously distressed. Everyone was, but none more than her. Her shouting caught the attention of everyone in the room.

She couldn't take it anymore, after everything that happened, she was done with it. Her anger was seething. Tali stormed out of the room and the door closed behind her.

"Tali really hates the council." Garrus grimaced.

Liara squinted her eyes and noticed something in Tali's manner. "But it seems that she has a more personal intrest in all of this."

Ashley stopped next to her and said, "She's just angry about the council, we all are."

"It may seem so to you, but the way in which she walked out, it showed a surprising amount of tribulation and heartache."

There was a long silence after that. Nobody knew what to make of it, nobody except Liara of course.

"I will go speak with her. A friendly talk will remind her of how we are all in this together. That we are all here to support each other. Perhaps I can even figure out what is buried underneath her soul, what she's been keeping secret from the rest of us."

...

Tali was leaning against the rails, looking out to the lake, when she heard the door open. Her anger was still very much alive. A bitter part of her hoped it was the council so that she could show them how much anger she had. She didn't bother to turn around until she heard footsteps stop right next to her.

"Is something wrong, Tali?" A vain question, but a needed one to get Tali to explain herself.

"Everything is wrong, Liara. Shepard is gone, the council betrayed him, and there's nothing we can do about it!" Tali exclaimed, grief-stricken. Before Liara could reply, she said, "What are we supposed to do now? There's nobody in this galaxy that cares about the reapers except us. Without, Shepard...we're all practically extinct.

Liara put her hands on the rail and said, "That can easily change, Tali. We can spread the word, tell the public about the reapers. Once they do know, the council will have no choice but to respond to the threat."

"I guess, but it's not going to make things any easier." Tali sniffled.

"It's more than that, isn't it?"

Tali was caught off-guard by the question. She wasn't sure how exactly to respond. She always regarded Liara as a rival for Shepard's attention but now wasn't the time for petty rivalries. She let her mind go blank and said the first thing that came to her.

"It is. I-I don't want to talk about it. It's better to just leave it be and forget about it." she said defensively. Liara was sure that she hit something sensitive. She had to tread carefully from here on out.

"Is it something about Shepard?"

Tali didn't reply. Her eyes bounced in her helmet, her thoughts racing faster than she thought possible.

"I-I want to say that-...it's just after everything-...He was so-" Tali babbled. She couldn't come up with a coherent sentence to save her life. She took a deep breath and started over slowly. "Shepard was the first person I've ever felt this feeling for. I don't completely understand it, but I don't want it to go." In reality, she understood it perfectly well, but she was trying to let out one small piece of information at a time.

"You loved him. It makes sense, given everything he's done for you." Liara realized.

"But what about you? He saved you just like he did me. He talked to you after your mother died. He's done more for you." Tali said, turning her head to her.

"Yes, he did, and yes you're right in what you're implying. I did care for him just as you did, but I believed that he cared for Chief Williams, so I never brought it up. It seems we both erred in this."

"Tali, it's hard to lose someone you love. I pretended that my mother's death didn't affect me but it did, more than I would want to admit. The pain of losing someone you loved intimately like Shepard is even greater. But you have to carry the happy memories with you to heal your heart. If I learned anything from Shepard, it's that once a person passes, their strength, their charisma, their resolve, goes with you. And I'm sure that Shepard would donate generously to you." Liara said.

Her speech had taken its effect. Tali let the smallest smile play on her lips. Shepard would have done everything to help her, he had demonstrated that many times. Even in the afterlife, Shepard would watch over her. Of that, she was sure.

"Thank you, Liara. It means a lot that you said that. We should go back in, and give Shepard our last respects. And thank him for everything he's done for us." Tali said with a trace of happiness. Liara grew a smile and nodded.

"I'm sure that the goddess has plans for him. May Athame bless him and give him peace." She said.

"And may the ancestors guide him to the peaceful light." Tali said. Their talk made her feel better.

_I hope that the ancestors will reward him what he most wanted in life._


	6. Chapter 6

**Here ya go. No comment. Huh, I just noticed I have a boring life. :(**

**Mapped: Thanks. I really think I'm improving with this stuff.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 6: Keelah Se'Lai<p>

Tali and Liara entered the room without a sound. Tali made a beeline to the chair on edge of one of the rows and gingerely sat down, thinking about everything Liara said. It was all true, and now she was focused enough to keep her emotions in check. Liara sat down next to her, looking behind her.

Tali looked back and noticed that the others were taking their seats. The ceremony must have been beginning.

The entrance to the room opened again and David Anderson stepped in with his customary Alliance officer uniform. His face was sunken and he had bags under his eyes, evidence of his exhaustion running for the human councilor position.

Ashley and Adams regarded him without expression. He made his way to the podium with a slight stumble and rubbed his temples with two fingers. He looked over the small crowd and wearily said, "We're going to have to do this as quickly as possible. The council doesn't want this to last for more than half an hour."

"The council looks after their own, right." Garrus scoffed.

Ashley stood up from her seat and gave Anderson a crisp salute. "Captain Anderson, permission to speak freely, sir."

"Permission granted, Williams."

"How the hell could the council do something like this? How could this possibly help?" Ashley said with barely constrained anger. Her brow furrowed as she waited for the answer that everyone wanted to hear.

"Chief Williams, it all has to do with keeping panic to a minimum. If word got out that Shepard was killed...the council doesn't want to think about it. And frankly, neither do I." Anderson said.

"This isn't right, Anderson. The council can't keep this a secret, no matter how hard they try." Tali said.

"I know, Tali. Honestly, I don't know why the council would be so afraid of it. They've been able to keep things under control for years, but they're afraid that these rumors about the reapers will be too much for them to handle. They don't want to deal with it."

Tali shifted angrily in her seat and spouted, "Bosh'tets don't deserve to be on the council if they don't want to deal with it! What in their oek'na minds makes them think that this will help?"

Anderson truly didn't know how to respond to that. He would've liked to defend Shepard just like everyone else, but so many things could go wrong. There were too many variables and not enough chances.

"I don't know, Tali." he finally answered. He could tell that she wasn't the least bit pleased by that answer. "We can't waste any time talking about it now. Whatever the council says is final. There's no changing that."

"But you're running to be the human representative of the council. Can't you do something about this when you're elected?" Garrus asked. He brought up a good point. Any one of the councilers can reopen a topic if they wanted to.

"It's not that easy, Garrus. There's more polictical angles than one would realize. But we aren't here to discuss that. We can talk about it later, just not right now."

_Shepard saves their lives and he gets repaid with betrayal._ Tali thought.

Everyone in the room relented. They all wanted to protest one of the council's most idiotic moves.

"Shepard was a hero." Anderson said. "But he was a lot more than that. He was an ideal, an inspiration, and a friend to everyone here. It was a tragedy that we lost someone as endearing and trustworthy as him. He was one of the best N7 operatives there ever was. It was an honor to know him. If anyone else wants to say something, they are more than welcomed to do so."

Anderson left the podium and took a seat at the far end of a row. Nobody had made an attempt to get up, leaving an awkward, poignant silence that left Tali momentarily stunned. These were his crewmembers, his friends, and none of them had anything to say. Not even a simple 'he was a great person'.

The motion of Garrus getting up from her seat interrupted her thoughts. He took an uneasy stroll to the podium and cleared his throat.

"I don't really know how these kinds of ceremonies work." he said hesistantly. "But I will say that Shepard was more than my commander and friend. He was my teacher. He taught me things that I'll never forget. He taught me how to be a better caretaker for the people of the Citadel. He taught me that protecting innocents comes before everything else, even catching the man responsible for it all. He will be missed and...I won't forget anything he did."

There was a long pause and Garrus quietly coughed. "I guess that's all I can say." He sat back down on his chair, leaving the podium open for anyone else.

Five minutes passed, and the podium still lay open. Tali was busy wringing her hands, she knew that she had to go up there eventually, but a part of her was holding her back. She would've felt awkward and shy. She knew she had no reason to, as she's known these people for the majority of a year, but she never discussed with them at length what her relationship to Shepard was. She felt a twinge of embarassment.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and got up on shaky legs. She felt all of their eyes suddenly watching her. A rush of heat passed through her as she stopped behind the podium. She cleared her throat and slowly said, "Shepard...he was always there for us. He was always there for me."

She took a brief pause and looked out to the room. Everyone was still watching her, encouraging her to continue. Liara had a small smile.

"I'll never forget all the things he did for us. None of us should. He is entitled respect from every species in the galaxy. And not just because he saved them from Saren, but because he treated everyone the same. That is something that I've never seen from a human. He was the only person to treat me with respect and kindness before I joined the Normandy."

Maybe it was that she felt that she owed him or maybe because she was passionate about him, but Tali was gaining more and more confidence. "Unlike the billions of humans that had viewed us as beggars and thieves, he was willing to see the other side of things. Not just the propaganda or the media's side, but our side too. I'll never forget that, and I'll never stop appreciating him for that."

"I owe him more than my life, I owe him my respect and my loyalty. And most of all, I owe him for helping me find my way home."

Tali took a deep breath. She felt like she needed to say more, but nothing else came to mind. Nothing appropriate anyway. Deciding it would be best to finish, she said, "I hope that he finds some peace after all the hardships he's been through. Keelah knows he deserves it, more than anyone."

She sat back down in her chair. It felt good to get all of that off her chest, save her feelings for Shepard. Now her mind moved on to another thought. A much more dire thought.

_What about the Reapers?_

...

The funeral had lasted a little more than half an hour. Thankfully, it wasn't stopped and everyone had something to say about Shepard. They all talked about their personal experiences with him, the talks they had or how he made someone feel better. Shepard was pretty much a messiah for them.

After the funeral, Anderson left, leaving everyone else to talk about what's up next for them. Tali walked up to Garrus, Liara, and Ash.

"Guys, I just thought of something." she said. Everyone turned to her. "What are we going to do about the reapers?"

The thought of the reapers now standing unopposed was immediately implanted in their heads. It brought feelings if hopelessness and loss. They all knew that Shepard was the only one who could stand a chance against them. With him gone, all organic life would certainly perish.

"What can we do? I don't think any of us can take down the reapers." Ashley said. Garrus turned to her with a raised hand and said, "Individually, no, but if we all work together, and used everything Shepard taught us, we can stand a chance against them. We just need to stick together and come up with a plan."

Garrus spoke with the same determination and confidence that Shepard did. With enough discipline and caution, he could be the turian version of him. Maybe that's what Shepard had wanted for him. It sure seemed like he tried hard to get him there.

When Garrus spoke to him about Dr. Saleon and how he got away, Shepard insisted that they go after him. Garrus had tracked Dr. Saleon's ship, the MSV Fedele, and was astonished at the sight of grotesque creatures that resembled the thorian creepers on Feros.

When they found him, Garrus was intent on killing him, but Shepard stopped him and convinced Garrus that turning Dr. Saleon in was the right thing to do. Garrus reluctantly agreed but Saleon didn't want to be behind bars.

The ensuing firefight ended with Saleon dead and Garrus wanting answers. Shepard did the whole thing to teach him a lesson. He took a risk to either try to bring Saleon alive or show Garrus a lesson worth taking when he went back to C-Sec.

"What do you suggest, Garrus?" Tali asked incredulously. Garrus' mandibles flickered as he began, "As much as I hate to admit it, we're going to have to part ways. We can tell people about the reaper threat. Tali, you're going back to the migrant fleet?"

Tali nodded. Garrus pointed at Ashley and said, "You're going to be reassigned aren't you?"

"Yeah, I...it's not going to be the same, but I see where you're going with this. Don't know what good it'll do, but I can try."

"We'll spread the word. The council can't stop all of us. Especially Tali. Your father is an admiral. Nobody is going to question you." Garrus said.

"Just because I get preferential treatment doesn't mean that everyone is going to listen to me." Tali protested.

"Some is better than none."

Anderson walked up to the group and put a hand on Ashley's shoulder. "Chief Williams, I need to speak with you. In private." Everyone took the hint and dispersed. Tali and Garrus stopped in front of the exit.

"Tali, it's only a matter of time before we have to part ways. You going to be okay by yourself?" he asked sympathetically. Tali put her hands together and said, "I can take care of myself, Garrus. I'll be okay. When I get back to the fleet, I'll be sure to try everything I can to make sure people know about the reapers."

"Good. I have to get to C-Sec academy, to try to help. I'm sure that the others are leaving too. It's been a pleasure, Tali." The two shook hands.

"I won't forget any of this, Garrus. You and Shepard were some of my most closest friends."

Garrus nodded and opened the exit. He took one last look at Tali before leaving. Tali watched him go, a part of her wondered if he was going to be just like Shepard. He certainly absorbed his teachings more than anyone else. But she was a close second.

Tali felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Liara behind her.

"I feel that the road ahead is going to be an unexpected one. For him, and all of us."

...

Tali sat alone on a small steel bench next to the entrance of the bridge of the passenger shuttle the Alliance sent her off in. They were en route to the migrant fleet, more specifically, the Neema. She had spent the past five hours just sitting there, looking at the OSD in her hands.

Her mind was blank. She didn't feel a thing. She was just patiently waiting for her future, and if the reapers show up without anyone to oppose them, it would be a short-lived one.

She cracked a small smile when she began thinking about the end of her pilgrimage. She imagined how her father would react when he finds out how important the pilgrimage gift she carried is. It might be the only thing that'll get him to open up to her. It was probably her last chance, given the circumstances.

She casually twirled the OSD through her nimble fingers as she thought of how things were going to go when she tried to warn her people about the oncoming threat. People might think she was crazy, they might think she was telling the truth, though it seemed unlikely.

There were a few poeple might hear her out, chief among them was Shala'Raan, her unofficial aunt. She had been there for her family far before she was born. She would no doubt listen to what Tali had to say.

The second was the Migrant Fleet Marine, Klenon. He trusted her, and since he was a marine, he had a sense of duty to protect his people. He would no doubt investigate anything that threatened the security of the fleet.

He was unable to go after her before, so he was probably on a mission, but that was part of the reason she was going on the Neema. It's captain was also Admiral Han'Gerrel, commander of most of the marines in the fleet. He would have a good idea about where he was.

"Excuse me, miss Zorah."

Tali looked up. A young woman popped her head out the bridge.

"They're asking for verification."

Tali stepped into the bridge while sticking the OSD into her pocket. She approached the pilot and pressed the communications button.

"After growing in knowledge far away, my body and soul return to stay."

There was a small pause. The pilot shifted uncomfortably. "Hope you remembered the right passcode."

"Permission granted. Welcome back."

The pilot sighed with relief. He put his hands back on the controls and slowly steered into the fleet.

"We'd like a security and quarantine team to meet us in the Neema, our ship isn't clean." Tali said. That sentence bothered the pilot.

"That isn't going to be a problem, is it? I don't want to get decontaminated like I'm irradiated or something. I'm not liking this. I'm starting to think that this isn't worth it.

"Ignore him." the woman said. "He just doesn't know when to shut up."

"It's alright." Tali assured. She turned to the pilot and said, "It's nothing bad. Most of this is just standard procedure. If we come peacefully, we'll just exchange greetings and there won't even be a security sweep."

"Good."

The three of them stood in silence while the small craft manuevered through the plethora of ships. Eventually, they reached the Neema, one of the larger ships in the fleet. The ship parked near the end of the Neema. It slightly shook as it connected the exterior docking cradle.

Tali stepped out of the bridge and stopped in front of the airlock a few feet away. It _swooshed _open and three quarians were already there.

"Tali'Zorah?" one of them said. It was obvious by his tone that he was shocked to see her.

"Yes, do I know you?"

The quarian slightly bowed and said, "No, but you're the most talked about quarian on the fleet. It shouldn't be a surprise, since you were one of the people who defeated Saren in the Citadel. It's an honor to meet you."

Tali was slightly surprised that news of the citadel attack had reached the the insular society of the quarian people. She only expected them to here that the geth attacked something, nothing more than that.

"Thank you. Will you have to decontaminate the ship?

"No no. We only needed the ensure that there was a quarian on board. Now that we do know, and the hero of the citadel no less, you're free to go about the ship." the quarian said politely.

"It's not necessary to call me that, but could you escort me to the bridge? I need to speak with the captain." Tali asked while her hand absently touched the pocket that held the OSD.

"Of course, miss Zorah. I'll take you to the captain right away." The three quarians then turned and headed for the bridge, Tali following them closely.

They reached the bridge in a few minutes. Gerrel was standing at the very front of the bridge, next to the pilot. The large, rectangular room was overflowing with quarians. All of them were working. In the center of the room was a holo-projector with a hologram of the entire fleet above it.

"Admiral Gerrel." the lead quarian said with a bow. Gerrel turned around to see the four quarians. His attention, however, was focused on Tali.

"Tali'Zorah! It's a pleasure to have you on my ship." he said with a friendly tone. Tali stepped forward and stopepd in front of him.

"Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema, I would be honored to become part of the Neema's crew. To prove my worth to you and the ancestor's, I present to you a gift." Tali said, reciting the pilgrimage adage. She pulled out the OSD and held it in front of Gerrel.

"What's this?" Garrel asked, taking the OSD and inspecting it.

"This OSD contains the geth's evolution ever since they banished us from our homeworld. It could help us reclaim it." Tali answered. Gerrel stared at her with wide-eyes, his expression unreadable behind the mask, but Tali had no doubt what his reaction was. A few of the other quarians gasped around her, whispering amongst themselves. The news of Tali'Zorah's gift spread like wildfire in the bridge. Once one quarian heard the news, they turned to watch her. Pretty soon, everyone in the bridge was watching her.

"Keelah. This is...a remarkable gift. Tali, I am proud to accept this gift and accept you into the Neema's crew. I pronounce you Tali'Zorah vas Neema, a very respected member of this ship. I have to get this to your father right away. I'm sure that he will be proud of you." Gerrel said. He put the OSD in his pocket and said, "Sat, take Tali to one of the new cubicles we have, she deserves it."

"Yes, Admiral. Tali, if you'll follow me."

"Wait." Tali said. She turned to Gerrel and asked, "Where is my father? I'd like to see him."

"Your father is on the Alarei, busy with research. When I tell him that you've arrived, he be on his way." Gerrel replied. "Don't worry, Tali, with a gift like this, there's no way that he wouldn't see you."

Gerrel left the bridge, followed by two quarians. Sat motioned for Tali to follow him and the two left the bridge aswell.

_I hope your right._


	7. Chapter 7

**I might get flamed for this, but I finally got around to watching Scott Pilgrim vs The World. And I have to say, that was the weirdest and most entertaining movie I've ever seen. I made me laugh quite a few times which is a rarity when it comes to movies.**

Chapter 7: Liofo Racquen

Tali stood in the middle of her cubicle, her new home. It was the same size as the other twelve feet by twelve feet, but everything was relatively new. There was a small bed with a steel frame over on the left side with a small electric stove on the other. The cubicle's entrance was covered with a white curtain. On the opposite side was a bare metal desk. There were no tapestries or any otehr personalized decorations. She'd have to get them from the markets, down on the Neema's lower decks when she had the time.

She sat down on the bed and unstrapped her knife from her boot. She placed it on the bed then began to take off the boots themselves. With nothing covering her feet except the suit, she put them on the cold steel floor and stretched her toes.

She collapsed on the bed and took a deep breath. She felt tired and empty inside. She only had one purpose now, it seemed. Continue Shepard's work and try to stop the reapers. But even that had it's own set of challanges. Right now, though, she felt that all she needed was some sleep.

She placed her hands on her stomach, fingers intertwined, and closed her eyes. She suddenly felt a warm hand on hers. She partially opened her eyes and was shocked to see Shepard right in front of her.

"Shep-wha...what's going on?"

He sat down next to her and held her hands in his. He stared into her eyes. Tali noticed that he was wearing the Normandy's crew uniform, not his armor.

"Tali, I'm not dead. I barely made it out of that mess. One of the Alliance ships that was cleaning the debris found me. When I got back to the council, they told me that Cerberus had something to do with the Normandy being destroyed. I need to go to the terminus systems and investigate some recent sightings." Shepard explained while cradling her hands. Tali sat up and took her hands out of his. In one swift motion, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Shepard. I thought you were gone! I can't believe you're still alive! How-how did you get here? How did you find me?" Tali sputtered. She was overjoyed. Shepard, however, was having trouble breathing.

"I have my ways, Tali." Shepard said with a strained laugh. "I thought you'd know that by now."

"Of course. What was I thinking?" Tali giggled. "So, why did you come after me?"

"I need you're help. We're going to destroy Cerberus." Shepard said. Tali hesitated. Going after Cerberus wasn't the smartest thing to do.

"No Shepard, I can't let you do that. What about the reapers? They're more of a threat than Cerberus."

Shepard tried to pull himself out of her embrace, but she wouldn't budge.

"Tali, Cerberus can and will try to delay our efforts to stop the reapers. They don't see the big picture, so we have to get rid of them or convince them that the reapers require everyone's effort to destroy."

Shepard was able to get out of her grip and stood up, pacing back in forth in front of her. "Do you know where the others are?"

"Garrus is back at the citadel. The others were going to be reassigned. I don't know where Liara went."

"We need to find them."

"Shepard..."

He looked at her then sighed. "I'm sorry, Tali, but we can't rest until the reapers are gone. I have to get rid of Cerberus one way or another."

Tali stood up and stopped a few inches from him. "Shepard, I thought I lost you. We all thought we lost you. Now you're back but you need to leave again? Can't we just take a break, if only for a while?"

Shepard looked into her soft eyes, they watched him with a longing buried deep inside. He had never noticed it before, but now it was more apparent than ever. The same feelings he had for her began to rise within him. He couldn't help but admire her voluptuous figure just as he did so many times before. He knew what she really meant beneath those words.

"Tali, what did you have in mind?"

She froze. What was she thinking? Now wasn't the time nor the place for her advances. But, what did he mean by what he said? Was he flirting with her?

"I-I...didn't mean it like that. I was just um, I needed some rest." she blurted out. Sheaprd grinned at her with the same lopsided grin he gave her on the Normandy.

"Were you trying to make a pass at me?"

Tali began vigorously wringing her hands. Was this actually happening? She didn't know what to say. There was a chance that she would not only have Shepard back, but also have him as a lover, but it was so far-fetched.

"I...maybe. I don't know. I just...I just don't want to lose you again."

Shepard closed the little distance between them and held her hands in his again. Tali's heart jumped. She could feel his warmth through her suit.

"Don't worry, Tali. You won't."

His hands slowly creeped behind her back. Tali's heart began to beat faster and faster. Her mind was numb as Shepard raised a hand to her upper back, fully tucked in his embrace. She rose her arms and placed them on his shoulders. Shepard soflty kissed her neck. She could feel the pressure through her suit, and her mind and body begged for more.

"Shepard, I want to believe that, but I don't know to believe in." she let out in short gasps as Shepard continued to caress her entire body.

"Believe in me, Tali. Believe in us."

Tali slightly pulled away and looked at him. "Us? Are we...together?" The idea might've seemed preposterous to another, but to Tali, it was pure bliss. Shepard smiled and replied in a husky voice, "Only if you want to be. But I've wanted this for a long time."

"So do I."

Shepard's hand lowered from her back and landed on her ample bottom. Tali gasped as she pressed her body against his. Her nerves rattled from the impulsive act. She slid her hands to his upper back and leaned her head against his shoulder. She had wanted this as much as a flower wanted sunlight.

She was pulled out of her dreamy thoughts when she noticed that Shepard's hands were moving to her visor. She quickly put her hands on his, stopping him just short of the act.

"Shepard, I want to you show you my face. But please, let me do the honor." she said with a suggestive voice, her accent making every word much more seductive. She led Shepard toward the bed and slid the knife aside.

Tali gently pushed Shepard to the bed. He sat down and watched as Tali straddled him. He put his hands back on her bottom and watched as Tali's hands moved to her visor's seals. Her fingers pressed down on them and her mask loosened with a _hiss_.

Tali slowly took off the mask and let it drop on the bed. Her youthful face was revealed to Shepard. Tali took her first deep breath of unfiltered air. Shepard's scent lingered in her nose. Her first smile of happiness in days grew on her face. Her eyes met Shepard's. She held her breath, waiting for his approval.

Shepard looked at her face with a blank expression. Before this, he always imagined what she would look like, but now it was great to finally know what lay underneath the purple veil. He smiled. She was very attractive. He felt extremely lucky to have someone like her grace him with her beauty.

A warm hand touched her sensitive skin. The sensation was mezmerizing. Tali leaned against his hand, she wanted to feel more of his touch. His warmth felt comforting. Shepard fully cupped Tali's cheek and said, "Tali, I truly don't know what to say. You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen in my life."

A smile graced Tali's lips. She slowly leaned in, intoxicated by his scent. Their lips were only inches apart.

"Actions speak louder than words, Shepard." she purred. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his. The soft, intimate contact made her heart skip a beat. All the years of pent up passion was released. Tali wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed deeper into the kiss. She felt his tongue invade her mouth, gently massaging hers.

Tali quietly moaned as she leaned her entire body on Shepard. They fell back on the bed. Their kissing intesified as their hands began to explore each other's bodies. Tali was amazed. This was all alien to her, but it all felt so good and she wanted more.

Shepard broke the kiss and gave Tali a loving look. "This is like something out of a dream, isn't it?"

Tali giggled and leaned her forehead against his. "Yes it is, but this is real. I know it's real."

Shepard pulled her into an embrace and whispered, "I think this might be a dream too, but I don't care. As long as you're here with me, I'll always be happy." Tali kissed his neck and took in his scent.

"All I've ever wanted is for you to be happy. I just didn't think that I could do it." Tali whispered. Shepard kissed her forehead and said, "Are you kidding, Tali? I always enjoyed our talks. I loved hearing your voice. Everytime I'm near you I feel calm. You've made a happy person now that you're here with me."

"And you've made me happy ever since we met, Shepard. I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything, Tali. I love you. I'd do anything for you."

Tali felt a wave of happiness overtake her. She wrapped her arms around Shepard's neck and embraced him." I love you too, Shepard. Keelha, I love you so much."

They shared another passionate kiss. Shepard's hands travelled up and down the length of her spine, giving her goosebumps. After what seemed like hours, Shepard broke the kiss and whispered, "Tali, isn't it dangerous to be exposed like this?"

Tali sighed. She didn't want to talk about this. She wanted to enjoy this moment with the man she loved. Still, he needed an answer. He was only looking out for her health.

"It is, but I don't care, Shepard. I have some spare anti-biotics that should keep me from getting too sick. Please Shepard, I want this to last for a little while longer." she pleaded. Her eyes met his and Shepard's resolve began to fail. He wanted to have her and make her happy.

"Alright, but we can't keep this up for much longer. I care about you, Tali, but I don't want this to hurt you." he said. He genlty moved her off of him and lay along the full length of the bed. Tali crawled on top of him and put her arms around his waist.

"I care about you too, Shepard. A lot."

They shared another kiss, ignoring the world around them, only caring about each other. Tali closed her eyes as Shepard put his hands on her back again and pressed her body against his. Their kiss rapidly escalated as they shared their body heat. Quiet moans escaped from Tali's mouth as the kiss increased in passion. She wanted this to last forever.

Their tender kiss soon slowed to a stop. Their lips parted, but exchanged a few short, soft kisses. Tali slowly opened her eyes. The kiss had left her breathless.

"Keelah. That was amazing."

Shepard began to kiss her neck. Tali moaned from the soft feeling. She put her hand behind Shepard's head, encouraging her to continue. He was more than happy to oblige. Tali had lost all track of time, but when Shepard let go of her neck, she knew it was too soon.

"Shepard, please stay with me." she breathed. Shepard gave a small laugh and said, "I already am."

That was all Tali needed to here. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. She could hear Shepard's heart beating rhythmically. The subtle beating slowly relaxed her. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

...

"Tali...Tali, wake up."

She began to stir as she began to absently feel around her. Something grabbed her wrist and slowly pulled her up. Tali sat straight up and slowly opened her eyes. A female quarian stood in front of her. By the suit's design she could tell that it was Shala'Raan.

Tali looked around, but Shepard was nowhere to be seen. "Aunt Shala, have you seen Shepard?" She immediately regretted saying that. Shala knew nothing about their relationship and she could get suspicious.

"Shepard?" Shala said, confused. "Tali, there hasn't been a single human on the flotilla."

Now it was Tali's turn to be confused. Shepard was here, she was sure of it. Did he sneak past security to get to her? What Shala said next interrupted her thoughts.

"Didn't Shepard die?"

Tali looked around and realized that her knife was still at her side, not on the floor. She wasn't laying along the full length of the bed like she remebered. Shala sat down next to her and said, "Tali, child, is something wrong?" It was clear she was worried about her.

Tali looked up as the the truth dawned on her. It was only a dream.

It didn't seem possible. It couldn't be possible. It was all so vivid, so real. She could swear that she felt Shepard's lips on hers and his warmth. If it was a dream, it was the most real one she had ever had.

If it was a dream, that meant that Shepard was still dead. And her declaration of love for him never happened. The happiness she felt in the dream wasn't real, only a mockery of what she could never have. It was spiteful, that even her own mind thought it would be fun to play tricks on her.

Realizing that Shala was still patiently waiting for an answer, Tali said, "I'm fine, aunt Shala. I was just thinking about other things."

"Now Tali, I've known you your entire life. I know when something is troubling you. Please, talk to me." Shala replied. Tali was about to say that nothing was wrong but she knew it was going to be a fruitless attempt. Shala could read her like a book.

"It's..it's just something that's been on my mind for a while now. There's...there's something I guess I need to tell you. Something I need to get off my chest." Tali said with uncertainty.

"You can tell me anything, Tali. I'll give you any guidance if you need it." Shala assured. Tali nodded and said sowly, "While I was on the Normandy, I...grew up a lot and learned a lot too."

"Yes, I've heard of your adeventures on the extranet. Tali, what you did there was the most amazing thing any quarian has ever done. We are all very proud of you."

Tali quietly laughed. She wasn't used to gratitude from someone else. Except, of course, from Shepard.

"I also heard you caused quite a stir with your pilgrimage gift."

"I always knew that there were high expectations for me, but the truth is, I never thought I could reach them."

Shala put a hand on Tali's shoulder and said, "You have always exceeded everyone's expectations, Tali. You were always the best in your classes and in your training. It comes to no surprise that you've surpassed another trial yet again."

Tali was touched by Shala's words. She never thought of herself as an exemplar among other quarians, but it sure made her feel better.

"I guess, but back to the point. While I was there...I had a friend on the Normandy. Shepard."

"Yes, I have heard of him. He was the one who killed the other spectre and his geth. The Admiralty Board had quite a long and dreary meeting about their prescence outside the veil. Good to see you took care of that problem for us." Shala said with a laugh.

"Well, you're welcome, but I need to tell you that-"

Tali froze. Her mind was yelling at her to keep her mouth shut. She didn't know how Shala would react. She was the closest thing to a mother she had since her own died, but even mothers could scorn their child.

"that I lost him when the Normandy was destroyed." she finished.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Tali. It's hard losing a friend." Shala said with the utmost sympathy. "Were you two close?"

"Yes, very close." Tali said. Her throat began to tighten and small drops of tears were forming.

_But not as close as I wanted to be._

Shala picked up on Tali's demeanor. She took Tali's hand and pulled her up off the bed.

"We should discuss this more in the markets, Tali. We can look for things to for your new home. We can make it just like the your old one in the Rayya." Shala said with a cheery voice. She hoped that decorating her new hom would make her feel better. She remembered when Tali got her first suit. She spent the entire day decorating it and making it look just right.

Tali shifted of her feet. She really didn't feel like going anywhere, but going out and seeing the people she missed would help her feel better. "I guess. Being busy always did clear my mind." she said with a weary smile and a heavy heart.

Before they could move, a quarian pushed the curtains aside. Next to him was a female quarian. Both of them looked uneasy and worried. Shala looked at them then turned to Tali. "Could you wait for a second here, Tali? I need to talk with those two."

Tali nodded and Shala approached the two quarians. With a soft voice she said, "Jaom'Lehto, it's good to see you. There is something I need to talk to you and Pranae about."

The couple gave each other apprehensive looks and Jaom said, "Is this about my son? We haven't heard from him in months. What happened to him?"

Shala motioned for them to exit the cubicle. They did so and Shala closed the curtains behind them. Tali was curious. When she heard the name 'Lehto' she was quickly reminded of Klenon. What was Shala going to talk to them about? Did it have to do with his mission?

Before she realized it, she was already moving towards the curtain. She leaned in closer and eavesdropped on the meeting.

"Yes, it has to do with your son. We sent Klenon on an important mission and he is behind on his contact appoinments to the fleet. We think that something happened to him."

"What are you saying, Admiral?"

"What I'm saying, Pranae, is that Klenon is-"

"Dead. You think my son is dead?"

"We have no other reason that suggests otherwise, Jaom. I'm terribly sorry, but we can't keep hoping that he'll return."

"We don't know that for sure! He could still be alive. I'll go find him."

"Jaom, please, you can't go out into the galaxy again. You're not the same man you were twenty years ago."

"I don't care if my spine is literally disintegrating. I'm going to do everything I can to save my son!"

"Jaom, we don't have any other option. He's been gone for months without contact. That never happens unless the person is gone. He was an amazing marine. You should be proud of him."

Tali heard someone quietly crying. She silently cursed her luck, she cursed her life. Now she lost two close people in her life. Who was next? Her father? Shala?

"Everything we went through with him, all those visits we paid him, I never told him how proud of him I was."

"He knew we were poud of him, Jaom."

"I never told him, Pranae! I should have been a better father. He was already alienated by the other kids, he only had us and I didn't do what a father would have."

"I will give you some privacy. I'm sorry for your loss."

Tali walked back and sat down on her bed, putting her boots back on. Shala entered the cubicle. "We should go, Tali. I have some things for you that someone special left behind."

Tali silently nodded. She was being careful about showing her feelings. Behind her veil, a few tears were already flowing down her cheeks. The two of them exited the cubicle and walked down the hall. Tali looked behind them and saw the quarian couple walking the other way. The woman was trying her best to comfort her husband.

Her life had taken a turn for the worse.

...

Tali slienty walked alone down the hall with tapestries and other miscellaneous items in her hands. Shala had left earlier to get whatever it was that someone had left for Tali. She stopped in front of her cubicle and shifted the items in one hand while opening the curatains with the other.

She stepped in and shut the curtains. She turned and was surprised to see something on her bed. She dropped everything on the bed. She saw that the thing was a holo-emitter with a note attached to it. She pulled the note off and read it.

_Naktun vera malicon pratse hequn'lom. Mrantasa'fella ten siero liofo jemte iejen racquen._

Tali activated the holo-emitter and a holo of her, Shepard, and Garrus appeared, standing side by side appeared. She recognized the picture. It was shown a thousand times on Citadel News Net after the geth attack.

She looked at herself so close to Shepard. Whoever sent this, she silently thanked.

Who did send this? Who was in her cubicle while she was gone? Was it Shala? That seemed the most likely since she left early. She could have put this here while Tali was busy sifting through the boxes at the markets.

Deciding that it didn't matter much, she put the holo on her metal desk and stared deeply into the picture. She cracked the smallest smile. She would truly treasure this picture forever.


	8. Chapter 8

**After spending a wonderful week out of country, I came back with a wealth of new ideas to implement. In the mean time, enjoy this chapter.**

**Mapped: Thank you. Having almost no experience in writing for other people, that means a lot :)**

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><p>Chapter 8: A Mother's Gift<p>

Tali turned from the holo and picked up one of the tapestries. It was purple, her favorite color, and had a four-star pattern that stretched across it's length. She held it up to the wall next to her bed. Satisfied of it's placing, she laid it down on the bed and picked up a couple of bolts.

"Tali?"

She turned her head and saw Shala standing next to the curtains with a large metal box in her hands. Tali could tell from her posture that this was something serious. Shala approached her and set the box on the bed next to the things Tali brought from the market.

"What is this, aunt Shala?" Tali asked as her hands neared the latch. She then realized that there was a keypad on the box's side. Shala sat on the bed and began to punch in the code.

"Tali, before your mother died, she constantly imagined what it was going to be like when you returned from your pilgrimage. She had so many things in mind for you. She was planning a celebratory dinner with a few meat tubes that she saved." Shala reminisced.

Before she pressed the final button, she said, "She also wanted to show you this personally. When you recieved your first suit, she paid close attention to what you wanted. Of course, the fleet didn't have most of the things you wanted, but that didn't stop Maral from trying to get them."

The mention of her mother's name made Tali relive all of her memories of her. From when she was a child to when her mother was on her deathbed. It broke her heart when she remembered her last words. 'Never let anything stop you from what you want'. In that instant she knew one thing, her mother was very passionate about her future.

Shala unlocked the box and the lid seamlessly opened. Inside was a beautiful purple cloth with long, swooping curves. Tali reached inside and pulled it out. She eagerly unfolded it and stood up, letting it's length fall to the floor. The hood rested in her palms while the rest fell to her feet.

"Shala, it's gorgeous." Tali said in awe as she continued to examine it. "My mother saved this for me?"

"Yes, Tali. And there's more." Shala replied. She reached into the box and removed an elegant black suit with a hexogonal design on it's front. "Your mother had paid for everything. She wanted to make you look like a princess." she laughed.

_Just what Shepard kept telling me._

"I thought now would be the best time to give you your new suit. Especially since you seem to have worn down yours." Shala quipped, referring to the Tali's metal cast.

"Yeah, I learned pretty fast that racism would be the least of my worries."

Tali threw the cloth over her shoulder and held the suit in her hands. "Keelah, it's amazing."

"I hope to hear the reaction from your father." Shala said excitedly. "He never knew about this. Have you heard from your father, Tali?"

Tali's mood went down in a heartbeat. She hadn't been reminded of him until now. With the buzz she made with her pilgrimage gift, she expected that her father would visit her as soon as he heard. But apparently, it was too much to ask for.

"No." she replied dejectedly. "I haven't seen him at all."

"Oh, I'm sure that he's tied up with other matters. Being an Admiral and all."

The room was filled with silence. Tali continued to look over the suit and cloth while Shala watched. "Would you like to try the suit on, Tali?"

She looked up from the suit and eagerly nodded. She placed the suit and cloth back into the box. The two of them exited her cubicle and headed to the nearest clean room.

...

Tali and Shala stepped down a narrow flight of stairs. They were just over the lowest deck of the Neema. Tali had the metal box containing her new suit under her arm. The deck was quiet, save for the noticeable hum of the ship's engines and air filters.

Small dust particles fell from the ceiling and the hall was lit with small bulbs that were attached to the top of the wall. The Neema's insignia was stamped on the metal walls in black.

Ahead of them were rows of clean rooms. Most of them were empty but there was the occasional occupied one. Tali stepped up to the nearest empty clean room and waved her hand across the access panel. The door slid open. Inside was a mirror, a metal chair, and a shelf, the bare minimum needed for a suit change.

"I'll be waiting outside if you need me, Tali." Shala said. Tali took a step inside and closed the door behind her. She set the box down on the shelf and looked at herself in the mirror. This was the old Tali. The one that was naive and inexperienced. But that was over. She knew better now and she aimed to stay that way. All that was left now was to reliquish the last piece of old Tali. She went back to the door and pressed a button. The decontamination cycle began and finished as soon as Tali made it back to the mirror.

She held her hand up and pressed down on her wrist. It began to beep and the glove soon came loose. She pulled it off, reavling her soft, three-fingered hand. She began to curl her fingers and stare attentively at them. Nobody was ever going to see her hand without the suit, she would be the only one. It made her feel closed off from the rest of the galaxy, and not just in appearance, but in character and personality. Her new suit wasn't going to change that, but at the least it could identify her as a mature young woman. That was enough for the time being.

Getting back to taking off her old suit, Tali took off the other glove and set both of them down next to the metal box. She looked back at the mirror, her hands creeped up to the seals and landed right on top of them.

Her mask came off and she looked at herself. She thought she looked pretty average. There was nothing special about her face to her and if there was anyone who thought otherwise, she would be pleasantly surprised.

She pulled down her hood and took off her helmet. Her entire head was uncovered. She only stared at herself for a few seconds before continuing with removing her suit. Within a few minutes, she stood in front of the mirror without it, wearing a white piece of clothing that covered her torso down to her thighs.

Tali opened the box and removed the purple wrap. She set it down next to the box and grabbed the black enviro-suit. Every enviro-suit was made differently, so each one had their own way of putting it on.

She picked up the torso piece and slipped it on over her head like a shirt. She had grown accustomed to the skin-tight nature of the suit and wasn't bothered by the sudden constriction. She grabbed the suit's sleeves and slid them over her arms. The black leather of the suit felt smooth and sleek. It was an elegant piece of art that her mother was, as always, dedicated enough to get.

The sleeves connected with an audible _click _and automatically tightened around her shoulders. Tali grabbed the gloves and felt their material. The purple design on the glove matched the longer piece of cloth.

She hesitated. If she put these on, she wouldn't be able to feel again. That aspiration would be stuck in her mind for years, slowly eating away at her as it did with her old suit. Nothing would have changed. Pushing those thoughts aside, she shoved the gloves on her hands and attached it to the sleeve.

Now that the upper part of the suit was in place, Tali opened her omni-tool and checked the suit's systems. It only took a few moments for the omni-tool to perfectly synch with the suit.

Tali then took out the lower half of the suit and slipped into it. It was a snug fit, she expected as much. Her mother had indeed worked very hard on this. She would never forget that.

The lower portion of the suit sealed to the the upper portion. Tali, again, felt the sudden tightning of the suit as it expelled all the air from the inside. She looked at herself in the mirror. The patterns and designs were marvelous. She felt very lucky to have a suit like this.

She sat down on the chair and looked at her gloved hands. Her mind wandered back to the reaper threat. She was running out of options, and will, to see the plan through. She began to think that telling Shala about the reapers wouldn't help. Even if she believed her, the chance of enough quarians believeing her to take action would be almost nil.

Even then, the Migrant Fleet alone wouldn't be enough to stop thousands of reaper ships with the same power as Sovereign. The best hope was that Garrus and Ashley gained a formidable following, but even that seemed out of reach.

She had to be honest with herself, there was no way they could pull this off. Not without Shepard. While she had faith that they could still put up a fight, she knew deep down that they can't hope to beat the reapers in the state they were in now.

Maybe Sovereign was right. Maybe their extinction was inevitable. The reapers have been doing this longer than anyone could fathom. That wouldn't have happened if they didn't know what they were doing.

Tali could feel tears forming around her eyes. She didn't want her life extinguished by a souless, emotionless machine. It wasn't fair, but after what happened the last couple of days, she should've expected as much.

No. That wasn't going to happen. She could not, _would_ not succumb to reapers. She was better than that. She wasn't going to give up until she was dead. There is a way to beat them. There's always a way.

She wiped her tears away with renewed resolve. She grabbed the golden neck brace from the box and it's gorget. Without a second thought, she attached it to the hem of her suit and wrapped it around her neck. It's ends sensed each other and clicked together. Tali grabbed the remaining cloth and other accessories while trying to formulate a plan.

_Being the admiral's daughter is a start. But most people would think I'm abusing that privilege. I have to act smart, play it out to make it look like I know what I'm talking about. _she thought as she began to wrap the elegant cloth over her body.

_The Migrant Fleet would only believe a threat if a military official told them about it. My father probably wouldn't believe me. Shala would be chastised for it, so that wouldn't work._

Tali pulled the cloth up to her back and quickly held it in place with the suit's buckles. She slid her arms into small openings in the cloth.

_We don't know how long it will take for the reapers to get here. But destroying Sovereign definitely slowed them down. _

Tali grabbed her helmet and put it over her head. All that was left was the visor. The thing that would seperate her from the rest of the galaxy, the thing that would label her as an undesirable, the thing that is synonymouswith the 'worse' the galaxy had to offer, and the thing that kept her alive.

She took one last breath of air, savoring her last breath for a long time. The purple visor clicked with the helmet and jets of air shot out from the seals. She looked at herself in the mirror one last time. The only thing visible in her visor were her eyes. It gave her a mysterious look.

_I have to get enough respect to make everyone think I'm right. The Migrant Fleet respects individuals in the military. Father is in the military and always wanted me to be in a high position in the fleet. The high positions in the fleet are all military or scientific._

Tali buckled the three straps across her stomach, keeping the cloth in place.

_Considering everything, it's clear what I have to do._

Tali grabbed the edges of her hood and pulled it over her head. It was over. She was, in a sense, reborn.

_I have to work with him to get to where I need to be. If I do that, I'll secure my own position and then when my influence is high enough, I'll warn everybody about the repaers. I only pray to Keelah that I'm not too late._

She looked over herself in the mirror. She looked like royalty. The suit was like the pinnacle of quarian art and she prided herself on being able to wear it. She wondered, however, what Shepard would have thought of her new suit.

She turned a couple of times to get a good, all-around look. The overall look was very pleasing with a pinch of sexual appeal. She picked up the pieces of her old suit and put them in the box. She locked the box and headed straight out. Shala was leaning against the wall waiting for her.

Before Shala could comment on her suit, Tali said, "Is my father on the Rayya? I need to speak with him."

Shala was slightly taken aback by her sudden question but said, "Yes, he said he was going to talk with Gerrel about your pilgrimage gift." without missing a second. Tali nodded then looked down at her suit. "How do I look?"

Shala approached Tali. She clasped her hands together and said, "Oh Tali, you look just like your mother."

Even though her mother never wore the suit, Tali knew what Shala was trying to do. She appreciated it. "Thank you, Shala. I love this suit. Mother must have really cared about what I wanted." she said with an underlying somber.

"Of course she cared about what you wanted. You were her world, Tali. If she could see you now, she would be very proud of everything you've done." Shala said with the utmost sincerity.

"Thank you, Shala. It means a lot to me. But for now, I have to go meet with my father. There are some important things I need to discuss with him." Tali said. She silently hoped that Shala wouldn't ask what she was going to talk to her father about. She didn't feel like discussing it with her and it could ruin the plan.

"Very well, if you need anything else, I'm always here for you." Shala said. Tali nodded and walked past her. After taking a few steps, Tali turned around. "Aunt Shala?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you...for taking the time to help me get through my problems."

"It's no problem at all, Tali."

...

Rael was busy typing away on his holographic keyboard. He had become so used to it that he typed like a robot, hitting evey key with percision without missing a step. When his intercom softly beeped, he groaned and hit the button.

"What is it?" he said, getting straight to the point. The reply sounded like the man on the other side was intimidated by Rael's sudden irritation. "Tali'Zorah is here to see you, sir." he said nervously.

"Send her in." Rael said with no change of emotion over the arrival of his daughter. The door to his small, almost bare office save for the desk quickly slid open and Tali stepped in with determinated steps.

"Is there something you want, Tali?" Rael said without looking up from his monitor. Tali was slightly let down that her father wouldn't even look up to see her, but she didn't let that affect her.

"I need to talk to you about something." she replied. "I want to join the Migrant Fleet Marines."

Rael's typing abruptly stopped. He looked up to his daughter, his expression undreadable behind his mask.

_Looks like I got his attention. _Tali thought as she waited for his response. Rael shut off his monitor and put his hands together on the table. "You want to join the Migrant Fleet Marines?" he said without any evidence of surprise or concern that a parent should have.

"Yes, as soon as possible." Tali confirmed. Rael stood up from his chair and moved in front of it, a few feet from Tali. He leaned against it and asked, "What makes you want to join?"

Tali had to take a few seconds to make something up. She expected him to let her join without question. Before her father could get suspicious of her intentions, she said, "I have an obligation to the fleet. It's my duty to protect it and make it better for everyone living here. It's our home and I will fight to the death to defend it."

Rael looked at her hard. She began to think he didn't buy it. After what seemed like hours, Rael broke the air of silence. "Very well. Report to the Idenna tomorrow, I'll start you out with something you're used to."

With that, Rael sat back down in his chair and resumed working. Tali just stood there awkwardly. She left without a word, firmly believeing that her father wouldn't have bothered to say a goodbye.


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm going to do a little experiment for the next couple of chapters. I'm going back to the old way I wrote while mixing a little bit of my style right now into it; to let the chapters 'breath' a little better, but still keep the descriptive touch.**

**Mapped: Thanks. I hope you enjoy this helping.**

**Tangyman: Thanks to you too.**

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><p>Chapter 9: Ascension<p>

Tali got up the next morning as early as she could. It wasn't hard, considering she had another restless night thinking about Shepard. Still, she was taking subtle steps to coax her father into noticing her commitment. As usual, he showed no real reaction, but she didn't fret, she had to take baby steps before she could do anything more noticeable.

When she got up, she had breakfast and boarded a shuttle to the Idenna. She heard some talk about the Idenna before she arrived. There was a hot debate about sending ships off to find other worlds to settle in. It had been discussed a dozen times over and it always ended in a stalemate.

When the shuttle docked, Rael was already waiting for her at the docks. It was filled with quarian engineers and mechanics all going about their duties. Crates were stacked in every available space, leaving little room to walk around.

"Tali." Her father regarded her.

"Father. What do you need me to do?" Tali asked. Rael stepped behind her and boarded the shuttle. He turned to her with an expectant gaze.

"Go to the engineering deck, talk to Ufler. He'll tell you what you need to know." Rael ordered. Before Tali could ask why, the door shut between them.

_I hate it when stuff like that happens. _She thought before turning towards the crowded hall. She was unfamiliar with the ship's layout, but that didn't stop her from exploring. No sooner had she arrived on the ship, she found the engineering deck.

The engineering wing was darker than she expected, a few dim light bulbs every twenty feet or so, but it wasn't a problem. A quarian was leaning against the wall next to the engineering deck's entrance.

"Ah, you must be Tali'Zorah. It's a honor to meet you." the man said with a slight bow. Tali returned the bow.

"Yes. I assume you're Ufler?" she said.

"That is correct. I'm the senior engineer on this fine ship. Admiral Rael'Zorah told me that you would be assisting us in getting our secondary engines into working order."

_Engineering work? I didn't know a marine did that. _Tali thought.

"What's the problem exactly?" Tal asked. Ufler waved his hand across the access panel and the door opened.

"The secondary engines are on the fritz again. If we don't get them fix before a serious emergency, the Idenna is scrap." Ufler explained as he walked down the hall with Tali following.

"Why haven't your engineers been able to fix that problem? Why send me?" Tali asked.

"They've been able to handle all the problems on the Idenna so far. But there's been a coolant leak. The wiring was fried and some of the mechanisms are either jammed or not responding. Plus, I've heard good things about you, miss Zorah. Your father recommended you for this particular assignment." Ufler said as he was handed a datapad.

"So where do I start?" Tali asked. She felt mildly touched about her father's faith in her abilities. Ufler handed her the datapad and pointed at a open panel at the end of the hall.

"There. According to my best engineer, the coolant leak came from that panel. I need you to plug it than repair any damage it caused."

"I'll start working on it. I'll let you know when I'm finished." Tali said. Ufler turned around and left her alone. Tali moved to the panel and knelt down. It was dark in the jungle of pipes. She put her hand inside the panel and absently searched for the coolant leak, using her omni-tool as a source of light.

Down the hall, a group of three quarians gathered around in the hall.

"Hey Omer, check out the girl down there." one of them said, pointing his thumb and Tali. Omer, the youngest of the group, looked at Tali, specifically her 'assets'.

"Hello beautiful, I wouldn't mind tapping that." he chuckled. One of the other quarians, Koren, punched him in the arm.

"You should ask her out, man."

"Nah. I'd be too much for her." Omer laughed.

"That's a good thing, Omer. Just go up there, be confident, and ask her out. Chicks dig the confident bunch." Koren scoffed. Omer looked at his two friends then back to Tali who was still looking for the coolant leak.

"Alright, alright, alright. I'll ask her out. But I don't owe you guys anything." Omer caved. He took a deep breath and casually strolled over to her. He stopped right behind her and looked back to his friends. Both of them motioned him to go on. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

"Hey, babe." he said confidently. Tali turned her head than back to the panel in less than a second.

"Is there something you need?" She asked politely. Omer shifted slightly.

"Why don't you drop what you're doing and come with me to the observation deck, huh?" he said with as much confidence as he could muster. His words gave Tali a slight pause and she stood up and turned to him.

"Look, I don't have time for your come-ons. I appreciate the offer, but I'm busy right now." Tali said. And just like that, she could see his ego take a hit in his eyes.

"You sure you can't take a little five minute break? I'll make it worth your while." he continued. His voice gave no hint that he was affected by what she said.

Omer could just feel that his friends were laughing at him. His cheeks were burning but he was careful not to let any of them know.

"I can't take any breaks. I have more important things to do." Tali said sternly. With that, she went back to looking for the coolant leak, mentally prepeared to ignore any more of his advances. Omer opened his mouth to say something, but he wisely shut it. He walked back to his laughing friends, hanging his head.

...

Tali felt a constant liquid trickle on her palm. She silently thanked the ancestors that she finally found it. It took her a little over half an hour to find the leak. She pulled her hand out and opened one of her packs on her belt. In her hand was a small packet of omni-gel. She tore off the side and held it out over her hand. The cool, blue gel poured onto her plam and Tali smeared it all over the leak. Within seconds, she could no longer feel the slow trickle.

Satisfied with the seal, Tali closed the panel and opened another one next to it. Inside was a crawlspace just large enough for her to squeeze into. She crawled in and shut the panel behind her, leaving her in the pitch-black.

Her omni-tool activated, lighting the crawlspace in a birght orange glow. Right away, she spotted some jammed gears to her right and a small computer next to them. She moved herself so that she faced the gears and tested them. Like she expected, they wouldn't budge. She rummaged through her packs until she found what she needed, a can of oil.

She poured a generous amount into the gear's hinges and tried pulling it again, it moved, but not enough to rectify the problem. Tali began to think of other solutions. She reached for the gear again, but was interrupted by someone screaming.

Tali shut off her omni-tool and cracked open the nearest panel. She saw two quarians, a male and female, kneeling on the ground, holding their hands up as if they were trying to ward off some unknown danger. What she saw walk up to them baffled her. Cerberus commandos.

_What is Cerberus doing here? What are they doing? _Tali thought as she watched the commando's get closer to the helpless quarians.

She silently watched as the commandos stopped in front of them, guns in hand. They exhcanged words, as if they were contemplating whether or not to spare them. They were too far awya for Tali to hear them.

She held her breath as she watched the commandos raise their weapons and gun down the quarians. They toppled over before they could let out another plea for mercy.

Watching her people be executed right in front of her made Tali's blood turn to ice. She would make them pay dearly for their crime. Her hand reached back and wrapped around the handle of her knife. She waited until the commandos passed by and slowly opened the panel. She creeped out and stealthily walked up behind the closest one.

Her training under Shepard kicked in, her mind relayed exactly what to do and when to do it. Her knife silently hovered towards the commando's neck, aiming for his carotid artery. With one quick swipe, she stabbed the commado's neck. He let out a pained grunt and fell to his knees.

Tali left the knife in his neck and grabbed his shotgun with his limp fingers still wrapped around the handle. She aimed it at the other commando and fired a shell. At almost point-blank range, his shields were completely destroyed. Tali let out another shot before he could fully turn around. The commando slammed against the wall and slid down, leaving a trail of blood on the wall.

She yanked the shotgun out of the commando's hands and threw him to the ground. Feeling a little safer with a weapon, she retrieved her knife and took quick steps to the closed door. She pressed her helmet against it. The audio enhancments in her helmet let her hear beyond the steel door's make.

She could hear some close gunfire aswell as someone barking orders, but she didn't know if it was a human or a quarian. She didn't want to risk stepping right into a group of Cerberus operatives so she moved back to the panel and stepped back inside.

The crawlspace was extensive. With it, she would be able to move around the Idenna undetected.

She crawled on her stomach up a small ramp and around a corner. She approached another panel and kicked it open. She aimed her shotgun at the hallway just as fast, ready to deal with any unwanted guests. To her relief, the hall was empty.

She stepped out quietly, never lowering her shotgun. She took a quick scan at both ends of the hall. Aside from the faint sound of gunfire from the other decks and the noise of the main engine and air filter, it was silent.

Another scan told her that she crawled up to the living quarters deck of the ship. The walls were riddled with holes from previous firefights. Whatever fight was here, it had either ended or moved on.

_I have to see if I can find any survivors. _Tali thought as she moved to nearest cubicle. She pushed it aside and entered. There lay a lone quarian with a discarded ammo block a few inches from his hand. Tali guessed he succumbed to his wounds. She picked up the ammo and put it in one of the packs on her belt.

Tali heard a faint footstep right behind her. Acting on instinct, she turned around and aimed her shotgun. She expected another commando, but instead she saw a small human child. The child stood in the entrance, wearing an enviromental suit and staring at Tali with a blank expression.

Knowing that the child wasn't a threat, Tali lowered her weapon and cautiously walked up to her. The child gave no reaction to Tali, it was as if she didn't even know Tali was there.

"Are you okay?" Tali asked calmly. Whatever she was doing here, it wasn't the right place for a child. She didn't reply, she merely stared at Tali.

"What's your name?" Tali asked in a more friendly tone. The child was likely shocked because of the gunfights around her, but Tali still wanted to know what she was doing here.

As if a switch just went off in her head, the child simply said, "Gillian."

"Gillian," Tali said, "what are you doing here?"

"I want to go back." Gillian said in a flat, monotone voice. Tali was confused as to what she meant by that. She dropped her shotgun to the floor next to her.

"You want to go back where?" Tali asked. Taking Gillian anywhere would be better than here. Once they were safe, she would ask her about why she was here.

"I want to go back to the shuttle. I want to go back to Hendel and Kahlee." Gillian explained in the same flat tone.

_They must be other humans. What's going on here? Are they Cerberus too?_

Tali weighed her options. She could either take the girl with her somewhere safe, most likely the shuttle she was talking about, or leave her behind and get out herself.

Her morals instantly decided that she couldn't leave a child alone, even if she was somehow with Cerberus. Besides, if they could get to the shuttle, Tali could warn the fleet about Cerberus' infiltration. Unless the shuttle was where the commando's came from. It wasn't a great option, but it was the only viable one to get out alive.

"Okay Gillian, we'll go back to the shuttle. Can you show me where it is?" Tali asked politely. Gillian gave a curt nod and held out her hand. Tali took at and Gillian pulled her urgently towards the hall. Tali picked up her shotgun and nodded.

The two of them walked down the hall. Tali half-expected Gillian to be running with all that's been going on. For being a child, she was extremely calm.

"You're a quarian, like Lemm." Gillian observed. Tali was a little surprised about her knowledge of her people.

"Yes. You know of us?" Tali asked.

"Quarians were banished from their homeworld, Rannoch, three hundred years ago by the geth, machines that they exploited for cheap labor." Gillian said in a matter-of-fact tone. She sounded so sure of herself. She must have been very well educated by Cerberus, but it still doesn't explain why she was here.

Tali walked ahead but still held on to Gillian's hand. As soon as she rounded the corner she quickly stepped back. She suddenly felt Gillian rip her hand from hers. Tali looked back and saw that the girl was staring at everything around her.

"What's wrong, Gillian?" Tali whispered. Gillian ignored her and kept staring around in a wonderous awe.

Tali peeked around the corner. There were three commados at the end of the hall, but they were too far away for Tali to kill with her shotgun. She couldn't sneak over to them since they'd shoot her before she could take two steps. Her suit hadn't been installed with a kinetic barrier so a firefight was also out of the question.

She reluctantly chose to use her shotgun, though to be pretty honest, it would probably lead to her death and possibly Gillian's.

"Gillian, stand back. I need to take care of them." Tali said. Gillian still looked like she didn't hear her. Tali aimed her shotgun over the corner and tried her best to line up a, atleast, painful shot. With a quick pull of the trigger, she saw that the commando on the far right's shields flared.

All three commando's snapped their attention towards her and fired their weapons. Tali silently cursed at her luck. She retreated behind the corner before she could take a hit. The incessant pinging of the bullets impacting the walls made it difficult for her to think. There was a lull in the gunfire and Tali returned fire. A ball of frustration formed when she saw that all the commando's were holding their position. At this rate, she'd run out of ammo before she even left a scratch on any of them.

Her shotgun beeped rapidly, signaling it overheated. Tali went back into cover just as the commando's returned fire. Something was off though. There weren't as many shots being fired as before. There was another pause in fire and Tali dared a peek.

She looked out just enough for one eye to see what's going on. Before she had time to react, a commando grabbed her by the wrist and harshly pulled her out of her cover. Tali tried to fight back but the commando slammed her against the wall and pressed his forearm against her throat.

Tali could feel the commando press the barrel of a pistol against her stomach. The others closed in on her, slowly sealing her fate. She tried to push the commando's arm away, but he pressed it harder, making it difficult for her to breath.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Gillian taking a peek around the corner. She still had an emotionless face. One of the commando's noticed her and walked over to her, pointing her pistol at her.

"We've found the girl." she reported. Gillian suddenly looked very aware and very scared. She took a few steps back in fear as the commando stepped closer.

"Stay away from her." Tali growled. The commando pinning her to the wall pressed his pistol against the side of her head.

"Just kill her, Cameron. We don't need her. One less quarian in the galaxy anyways." the woman said. Cameron nodded. He threw Tali to the floor and holstered his pistol.

"I'd rather not waste the ammo on this one." Cameron sneered. He forcefully flipped Tali onto her back and and wrapped his large hand around her neck. Tali squirmed as hard as she could, trying to find some way, any way, to get out of his grip, but the commando was too strong.

It was over now. Her life, her resistance, everything. She didn't have any means of defense, no way to fight back. Whatever this brute was planning to do, she hoped it would be quick.

She closed her eyes as she saw the man's fist brought down to her visor. The unnerving sound of something cracking rang in her ears. She began to feel light-headed, a sure sign of an infection.

She took her last breath and silently waited for her fate. She felt like something was tugging at her from her side. She never knew would it felt like to die, but this definitely felt like it. The tension of the commando's hand on her neck faded.

A terrible sound overwhelmed her. It sounded like screaming. Tali opened her eyes and to her amazement, she was still alive. There wasn't even a crack on her visor! The commando that was strangling her was standing up aiming his pistol at something to her right.

Tali took her chance and kicked the pistol out of Cameron's hand. The pistol fell to the floor and Tali quickly dove for the corner.

Cameron recovered his pistol and took aim and the retreating quarian. He pulled the trigger. He heard the quarian shout in pain before he was thrown up at the roof, breaking his neck in half.

Tali was stitting on the floor, leaning against the wall and clutching her right arm. The commando was able to get a lucky shot in. Tali couldn't tell if it was either a graze or a gunshot wound. She tried to distract herself from the pain by looking at Gillian who was glowing in a blue aura.

Saying she was surprised was an understatement. The last thing she expected was Gillian being a biotic. She couldn't be no more than twelve years old and yet she managed to kill three highly-trained Cerberus commandos. The look on her face looked like she didn't even know what she just did.

"Gillian...you're a biotic?" Tali asked in disbelief. Gillian turned to her and slightly nodded.

"Hendel taught me. He said creating a singularity was hard, but I did it." she said in the same flat tone. Tali was about to reply until a sharp pain went up and down her arm.

"Bosh'tet!" she muttered through gritted teeth.

"Are you okay?" Gillian asked. Her tone betraying her sincerity. Tali moved her arm and inspected the wound. Her fears were realized, the bullet landed cleanly in her arm. Her blood slowly trickled out of the rupture, if Tali didn't get help soon, she'd die a slower death than the commando would have given her.

"Don't you have antibiotics?" Gillian asked. Tali shook her head, not taking her eyes off the wound.

Tali put her hand back on the wound and said, "I just got my suit yesterday. I didn't have time to fill the antibiotic containers."

She stood up and picked her shotgun off the floor. She put it under her arm and muttered, "I don't think we can get to the shuttle. Not in my condition."

"We have to go. We'll be safe there." Gillian pleaded.

"Gillian, we can't go anywhere. I've been shot! I can't protect you."

Gillian seemed to ignore Tali because she turned away and began walking down the hallway. Tali groaned and quickly caught up with her.

"You can't go off by yourself. Cerberus wants you for whatever reason and believe me, Cerberus coming after you is a bad thing." Tali reasoned, the image of Admiral Kahoku lying dead on the floor of a Cerberus base still fresh in her mind.

Gillian didn't seem fazed by Tali's warning. She kept walking and turned a corner. Tali followed and knelt down in front of her.

"Gillian, please just stay here and wait for a little bit. I'll call for help and then we can all go to the shuttle together." Tali promised. Gillian looked past her and stared at something behind her.

"Well if it isn't the famous Tali'Zorah."

Tali stood up and turned around. There was a quarian with an assault rifle in his hand. He looked like he was smiling.

"Thank Keelah you're here." Tali said, almost overjoyed at seeing a fellow quarian. "I need your help. I've been shot."

The quarian looked at her then her arm. Then he looked at the human child with a curious face. The smirk soon returned to his face.

"You need help? Hah, you're going to need a lot more help than just antibiotics." he said while aiming his rifle at her head. Tali was momentarily stunned. Was he being serious? What he said next chilled her to the bone.

"Those bosh'tet admirals exiled me. Killing Rael'Zorah's daughter will definitely make us even."

* * *

><p><strong>By the way, Gillian, Kahlee, Lemm, and Hendel aren't mine. You guys probably knew that but I felt the need to point it out.<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Here's a heaping serving of Chapter 10. I have to admit that Paragon II is going on longer than I initially expected. Enjoy (however hard that may be.) and feel free to review. Oh, and I changed the rating to M for some future stuff. And maybe for some stuff in here. Maybe.**

**Liege Lord: Gracias. Here's another portion of the exotic stuff. (Seriously, I think I'm the first who put characters from the novels into their story.)**

**Mapped: Trust me, the change of pace is going to change. And be careful what you wish for.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 10: Baptism of Fire<p>

Tali tried to slowly distance herself from this undoubtedly insane quarian. But the more steps she took, the closer he got. The devilish grin never left his face. Tali could try to run, but the quarian would run her down quickly.

"Looks like helping out Cerberus was more beneficial for me than them. I'm going to enjoy this." he laughed.

"Run Gillian." Tali whispered. The girl didn't respond.

"RUN!"

Gillian got the message and ran away. Tali tried to wrestle the gun from the quarian, but he was too strong. He yanked it out of her grasp and hit her in the stomach with the butt of the gun. Tali doubled over and fell to the floor, gasping for breath.

"Nice try." he mocked. He grabbed her by her hood and pulled her up to her knees. Tali tried to pull herself out, but he shook her violently to dissuade her from trying anything.

"You're a fiesty one, aren't you?" he laughed, taking pleasure in watching her squirm.

_He's too strong. Have to play dirty. _Tali thought as she stopped her resistance. As she had hoped, kept her in his grip.

With a grim smile she acted defeated, hoping that the ruse would work. A few tense seconds passed and the quarian pushed her hood up, forcing her to look at him.

"When I'm done with you, your own father won't recognize you." the quarian said. This maniac was truly a perversion of a quarian.

_It's now or never._

Tali instantly punched him in the groin. The quarian dropped his gun and howled in pain. Before the quarian can do anything else. Tali rammed her head in his stomach. The quarian fell to the floor in the fetal position, whimpering and holding his stomach. Tali delivered a sharp kick to his chest before running away.

She didn't have any idea where she was going, and she didn't know which direction Gillian went.

Things went from bad to worst. She didn't have a clue where she was, she was injured, she lost her shotgun, and Gillian was gone in a ship full of human extremists. A ball of frustration formed when she realized that she hadn't found a single quarian that was on her side.

She flew down the stairs and leaned against the wall. She was feeling very-lightheaded. The infection was strating to take hold of her and her wound hadn't gotten any better.

_I have to take a break. I can't keep pushing myself like this._

"Where do you think you're going, Zorah?"

Tali turned back and saw that the quarian was limping towards her with his assault rifle in hand. She cursed under her breath and kept runnning. She could hear and feel shots whizzing past her.

She could see ahead of her was an open door. It was her only hope of cutting him off. She ran as fast as her legs would let her. She felt the sudden ricochet of a bullet bouncing off the metal of her boots. The impact caused her to lose her balance but she quickly recovered, getting ever closer to her salvation.

As soon as she passed the doorway, she shut it behind her and activated her omni-tool. After a few taps, sparks flew from the door's hinges and the access panel went from green to a bright red. Only a few seconds later did she hear loud banging on the door.

"Open the door, Zorah! I promise to make your death as quick and painless as possible." the quarian shouted through the door. Tali kept quiet, silently praying that he would go away.

"Fine. Have it your way. But mark my words, you'll regret this. Hahahahahaha!" the quarian laughed. Tali heard the soft patting until the hall was competely silent once more. She sat there for what seemed like forever, her mind numb on the recent events. Desperation began to sink in.

Before this whole thing, before meeting Shepard, before leaving on her pilgrimage, she saw her life as worry-free. She viewed the quarians as a loyalty-driven people. She believed that everyone sacrificed for the good of the fleet, that anyone who didn't was just a fairy-tale.

She also saw the fleet as indestructible, something that no man would dare to threaten. That it would live on forever. A very naive outlook, but then again, she had lived a mostly sheltered life.

Over the past few days, that delusion came crashing down. Everything she knew, everything she was brought up to believe was either false or misguided. A fabrication made to make the young feel safe and secure.

What was she supposed to believe now? That the quarians were never safe and the fleet, like everything else, like Shepard, will die? The mere thought of her people being exterminated scared her, terrified her.

It's been said that the pilgrimage was the gateway to enlightenment. But Tali never suspected that being enlightened would mean knowing an ugly truth, that the quarians were far more vulnerable than she ever thought.

_Forget about it, Tali. Think about it later. Right now, you have to find a way out of this mess._

Tali got up and inspected her wound. The bleeding had stopped, but that was in no way a relief. She heard the faint sound of more gunfire. Wherever there was gunfire, that meant that there were quarians that were, hopefully, on her side.

She raced down the hall as fast as she could, her hand wrapped tightly around her wound. a small sharp pain went up her arm as she touched it. She reached a hallway that broke off into three different directions. In front of her were three quarians waging a battle with five commandos down the hall. One of the quarians was the chief engineer, Ufler.

"Miss Zorah! It's good to see that you are still alive." Ufler said over the gunfire. He and another quarian were hiding behind a shipping container. Further down the hall, a quarian female hid behind an overturned desk.

"You might want to find some cover, miss Zorah. They don't take prisoners." Ufler warned. Tali dashed to an empty space next to the female quarian.

"Ufler, what's going on? I was working on the leak like you said and the next thing I know, this ship is infested with Cerberus commandos." Tali shouted.

"I'm about as confused as you are, Tali. I contacted Captain Mal about the attack, he said that these Cerberus rats are here for a little girl. I haven't even seen one."

Tali was instantly reminded of Gillian. She must have been the one Cerberus was after. What the commando said before made sense now. Tali had to find Gillian before they did.

"I saw the girl, Ufler. Her name is Gillian. We were going to a shuttle she was talking about until some commando's got in the way." Tali said.

Ufler noticed that Tali was favoring her arm. "Tali, are you okay? Cerberus didn't put their hands on you did they?"

"One of them got a lucky shot on me a while ago. I need some anitbiotics and medi-gel. I barely made it over here." Tali said while letting go of her arm, letting Ufler see the damage.

"Lera, give her some spare medi-gel. We need everyone at a hundred percent right now." Ufler said while pulling something out of his own pocket. The quarian woman next to Tali handed her a packet of medi-gel.

She hastily opened it and squeezed a large amount onto her wound. The stinging sensation of the gel was soon replaced with a cooling feeling as the gel's anesthetic dulled the pain.

Ufler fired his pistol blindly over his cover. The quarian next to him did the same. While the commandos were distracted, Ufler tossed a vial of anitbiotics across the hall. Tali grabbed it and inserted it into one of the containers on her arm.

Tali opened her omni-tool as fast as she could and injected the anitbiotics. She could feel a pinch as the needle inserted itself into her arm and injected the anitbiotics.

"Thank you, Ufler. That makes me feel so much better."

"Unfortunately, that's all we can do now. We don't have any omni-gel to seal that breach up. Tali, can you hold on until we get out of here?" Ufler asked as he checked his ammo in his pistol.

"Yes. Though I would really like to get this over with as quickly as possible." Tali muttered. The quarian next to her handed her a pistol. She tested it's weight and fired a few shots from out of cover, none of them hit a thing.

Ufler leaned out of cover and shot at a vulnerable commando. The bullet went right through his chest and he slumped to the ground. "Agreed. The more time we waste here, the more time Cerberus has to get their prize."

Feeling a little bit better from the medi-gel and anitbiotics, Tali leaned out and fired a couple of rounds. The first round hit a commando right in the knee. The commando fell to one leg and the next one entered his skull, killing him instantly.

"Ufler, we have a problem. A big one" Tali said as she went back into cover.

"It can't be any worse than Cerberus infiltrating us." Ufler remarked. He was about to return fire until his cover was pelted with bullets, keeping him in his place.

"I think there's a quarian with them. He found me and then he tried to kill me. He said that he was exiled and wanted revenge."

"What? There's a traitor working for Cerberus? Self-centered bosh'tet must have given them the codes to get this far." Ufler muttered. Tali thought about what he said and it made sense. The only way for Cerberus to infiltrate the flotilla would be to get the codes from a quarian. No doubt the traitor traded them the codes in exchange for a chance at revenge.

"Do you know where he is? Or at least where he's going?" Ufler asked. The quarian next to him popped out of cover but was shot three times by the commandos. Ufler cursed under his breath as the body fell right in front of him.

"No. I managed to escape. He seems to have a personal vendetta against me." Tali replied. She looked at the fallen quarian. His blood began to make a small pool from beneath him. Tali gritted her teeth and fired off more rounds, most of them struck the commando's cover, but one bullet managed to graze one of their arms.

"If he's only after you, we can use that to our advantage. I don't want to put you in harm's way, but it's probably the only way for us to catch this degenerate." Ufler said with regret.

"Uhh, chief." Lera hesitated, pointing behind the commandos. There was a quarian with an assault rifle. Once he spotted them, he opened fire aswell.

"Scratch what I said. We found the parasite already." Ufler commented. He sprang up and tried to gun down the traitor.

The traitor seemed to expect it, since before Ufler even got up, he took cover behind a small crate.

"Bosh'tet." Ufler shouted. He aimed at the injured commando and fired several rounds. The wounded commando was hit with another round in the arm and fell to the floor. He groaned loudly and pulled his pistol off his pistol. He kept shooting as blood flowed freely from his arm.

Ufler crouched back under cover. Lera, armed with a shotgun, stood up and let loose on the group. The raw force pushed back the crates that the commandos were using as cover. One of the rounds pierced a wooden box and a splatter of blood sprayed from behind it.

Tali held her pistol in one hand and ended the wounded commando's life. Only one commando and the traitor remained.

"Keep it up, Tali. You're making short work of these pests." Ufler said. Encouraged, Tali stood up and activated her omni-tool. It beeped and she could hear the commando and the traitor cursing, the faint, rapid beeping of the gun's overheated alert accompanied them.

She bent back down. "We should take care of them now, Ufler. They're vulenrable."

"Excellent. Let's go and end their miserable lives."

Tali heard a sharp click and heard something clatter on the floor. A small disc skidded right in front of her. It began to pulse a blue light as it beeped faster and faster.

"Oh keelah..." Tali gasped.

"Run NOW!" Lera exclaimed when she was already up on her feet. The two girls ran out from their cover. The grenade exploded in a large fireball. The force knocked Tali and Lera off their feet. Tali hit the floor so hard the air was knocked out of her lungs.

Laying on her stomach, Tali opened her eyes just barely. Lera lay in front of her, motionless. Ufler was still under his cover. He knew that taking a step towards them would most likely result in his death.

Tali closed her eyes for just a second, but it felt like hours. When she opened them again, she saw the commando moving towards them. Her throat felt dry as she tried to warn Ufler.

"Ufler...behind..."

The commando hit Ufler in the face with the butt of his shotgun and the back of his head bounced off the wall. The traitor walked calmly towards them, pistol in hand. Lera tried to push herself up, but the traitor put his boot on her head and slammed it back down.

Lera tried to push his boot off. He did, but as soon as Lera tried to push herself up, he did it again. Tali saw her pistol in front of her. She slowly crawled towards it. Both the traitor and the commando were distracted.

Tali reached out and grabbed the pistol with one finger. She pulled it to her and aimed it at the traitor. He noticed and as fast as lightning, he aimed his and shot Tali's gun out of her hand.

"You never give up, do you Zorah?" the traitor mocked.

"How could you do this? How can you betray your own people?" Tali demanded. The traitor laughed and pressed Lera's head harder on the floor.

"You expect me to honor every word the admiralty board says? Like you? You're just a sniveling little daddy's girl who's never had to work in her life. The admiralty board can play god with the flotilla all they want. No matter what they do, the flotilla will die, one way or another. I was just enjoying life's spoils until it did."

Tali looked over and saw Ufler being held at gunpoint. There was nothing any of them can do.

"You're wrong. The flotilla can survive. It has for three hundred years." Tali said weakly.

"I can hear the doubt in you. You know just as well as I do that the Migrant Fleet will crash and burn. This infiltration proves it. The flotilla won't last another century, I can guarantee it. Maybe less if someone does me a favor and kills you all."

Tali was reminded of the reapers. How they wouldn't leave a single sentient being alive. They would have no remorse over killing them. "The Migrant Fleet won't die."

"STOP LIVING IN YOUR DREAM WORLD, ZORAH! You've been lying to yourself this whole time. Do you really think that the Migrant Fleet, in it's condition, will last? Think about everything you've been doing since your pilgrimage. All you did, all everyone did, was repair. And there lies the truth. The flotilla will crumble from the inside or burn from the outside."

"So that's why you betrayed us. You were tired of living our life? You wanted to go beyond that at the expense of others? Do you not care about your own?" Tali accused.

"I did whatever was necessary for me. That's how the world works. You think that I care for our people? This is how much I care for our people."

The traitor aimed his gun at Lera and shot her in the head. Blood splattered across the floor as the quarian twitched and finally lay limp. Tali looked away from the gruesome sight, breathing heavily as the image was burned into her mind.

"I only look out for me. If a man, woman, or child dies because of it, it wouldn't matter to me." the traitor said without emotion, removing his blood-stained boot from Lera's head.

"You're insane." Tali breathed.

"No, I'm a pioneer. My way is the only way for one to live successfully. Those who think otherwise have to die." the traitor replied.

"So you're going to kill me." Tali guessed. The traitor stared at her, long and hard.

"No. You can still be saved." the traitor said.

"You expect me to join you?" Tali grieved.

"You will, one way or another. You'll see just how flawed the admiralty board is."

"The admiralty board does what is best for the fleet."

"They do what's best for themselves. You'll soon understand. Until then, you have to see what their 'leadership' causes. Kill him." the traitor ordered. On cue, the commando aimed his shotgun at Ufler.

"Tal-"

A loud bang silenced Ufler forever. Tali gritted her teeth in hate. She could feel warm tears forming.

"Let this be a lesson to you, Zorah. No matter what you do, no matter what you try, the same will happen to every single quarian here because the Admiralty doesn't care."

"I _hate _you." Tali whispered.

"And in time, you will thank me."

"You're living in your own dream world if you think that will ever happen." Tali replied.

"Such defiance. You have a fire inside of you, Zorah, whether you know it or not. It makes me wonder if you will ever become an admiral." the traitor said. "If you did, I bet you'd try everything you could to serve your people, am I right?"

Tali didn't respond. She didn't want him to have the pleasure of a reply.

"Answer me, Zorah. If you were admiral, would you serve your people!" the traitor said in a much more serious tone.

"Yes, I would." Tali replied. The traitor laughed.

"You're so idealistic. That's what every admiral says when they start working." the traitor said. He walked up to Tali in a non-threatning way. He crouched down next to her.

"Trust me, Tali. You will see the truth. Until then, you have to suffer for the sins of your people." the traitor whispered to her. Tali looked up to him with a puzzled expression.

"What do you mean?" she asked. He chuckled.

"You'll see. You'll see."

He seized her arm and pulled her up. Tali didn't bother to resist. She was too tired to try. The quarian shoved her forward.

"If you're going to be an admiral you have to make some tough decisions." the quarian said. He led her past the door he came through and up a small set of stairs. Tali's mind raced with unanswered questions. Where was she going? What did he mean by making tough decisions? Why did he take such an intrest in her?

They reached a closed door and the quarian opened it. What was inside shocked Tali. There were atleast twenty quarian prisoners being watched by ten commando's.

The quarian must have gestured to the commando's because four commando's grabbed two prisoners from the far side of the room. One of them was a young boy, probably no older than twelve years old. The other was a very pregnant woman.

The commando's forced the quarians onto the floor, training their assault rifles on them.

"Being an admiral is hard, Zorah. You will learn that by the end of the day." the quarian said as he walked next to her. Tali already figured out what was about to happen and she felt sick to her stomach. She had to get out now before it was too late.

She turned her head and her heart sunk when she saw that the way out was locked.

"Look at these two, Zorah. See how innocent they are?"

Tali refused to look at them. The quarian grabbed her by the neck and forced her to look at them.

"Tell me Zorah, how far would you go to protect the innocent?" the quarian asked. Tali continued to stare at the two prisoners. She felt her throat tighten as the child began to cry.

"You won't answer? It doesn't matter. Actions speak louder than words." the quarian said. He pulled out his pistol and shoved it in her hand.

"Their lives are in your hands now, Zorah. Who will you save, huh?"

Tali didn't raise the pistol. She wasn't going to be a pawn to this sociopath's game.

"If you don't choose, I'll kill them both myself." the quarian threatened. Tali felt a tear slide down her cheek. How did she get here? What did she do to be put in this position? To decide the fate of a child and a mother. She couldn't kill either of them. But if she didn't, this heartless maniac would kill both of them.

"I'm running out of patience, Zorah." The quarian groaned. Tali shakily raised the pistol. The boy began to cry harder.

"Please, please don't kill me. Don't kill my daughter." the woman pleaded. The pistol began to shake more and more as Tali heard the boy's crying and the mother's pleading.

"Zorah, if you don't choose in five seconds, I'll do it for you."

_I can't do this. I can't kill them._

"Five."

Tali aimed the pistol at the boy, who began to cry harder. "Please miss. I don't wanna die. I want to see my mommy."

"Four."

Tali quickly switched to the mother. "No, no please. I don't want to die. What about my husband? He can't go on without me."

"Three."

The pistol was aimed in between them as Tali's mind raced faster and faster. Another tear fell from her eye.

"Two."

_Keelah please help me. I don't know what to do._

"One."

Tali qucikly aimed and fired.


	11. Chapter 11

**I feel really proud of this one, to be honest. I think it shows Tali's development in** **character, what do you guys think? reviews would be appreaciated.**

**Liege Lord: Maybe. Read and find out. :)**

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><p>Chapter 11: That Which Separates Us<p>

The gun still trembled in Tali's hand. She could feel all eyes on her as the room fell silent, either from disbelief or disappointment. The traitor shook his head. "Such a shame." He muttered.

"You bosh'tet." Tali whispered. She wanted to hurt him, badly. For all the pain he caused her. For all the pain he caused everyone on the Idenna. The traitor snatched the gun out of her hand and put it on his belt.

"Emotional strife, Zorah? You'll get over it. Though I must admit, I thought you would know what was best for the fleet and, by extension, for yourself." The traitor said with the smallest of smiles.

"The last thing I need is a lecture from you." Tali hissed. The traitor acted hurt, which only made Tali hate him more.

"Now, Zorah, you need to learn how to respect those with more power than you, especially when you fail to take their orders." The traitor said. The child and woman both whimpered. A small bullet hole where Tali fired lay between them.

"Take these two away; I'll execute them myself as an example." The traitor ordered. The commandos all looked at each other with questionable expressions.

"We're not going to take those kinds of orders from you, Golo. You're only here because of the codes; we don't need you for anything else." One of them, a woman, said boldly. Golo's brow shot up in surprise.

"What? If it wasn't for me, you Cerberus lap dogs would still be trying to figure out how to get this far." Golo said in annoyance. Tali silently watched the dispute. Their conflict might have opened a slim chance to get out of here.

"You've played your part like you were told. Who's the real lap dog, quarian?" Another commando said. Golo's temper was seething but he managed to keep his tone professional.

"Nevermind. I'll deal with them myself." Golo said, ending the conversation. Tali's shoulders sunk down. That was probably her only chance of escape and the two idiot parties settled it. Tali suddenly saw a silver lining. Golo was moving up to the two prisoners, in front of her and the commandos, effectively a meat shield. This may have been her only chance, she had to take it!

Without warning, she dashed towards the unsuspecting quarian. She reached out and took the pistol from Golo's belt. She wrapped her free arm around his neck and fired her pistol at the female commando.

The bullet tore through her helmet and right between her eyes. Golo was surprised by the sudden attack, but he should have expected it. She wasn't as inexperienced as she looked. The other commando's raised their weapons just seconds away from pulling the trigger and ending both her and Golo's life, and he wasn't about to let that happen.

"Oh no, Zorah. Not today." Golo said calmly. He grabbed Tali's wrist and flipped her head over heels. She landed cleanly on her back and the pistol shot out of her hand.

"Nice try."

Tali groaned. It didn't go exactly as planned and now she was in a worse position than before. She would say that it couldn't get any worse, but knowing her luck, she'd get more than one curveball. One of the commandos walked up to Tali and aimed his shotgun at her.

"She killed Arianna. It's only fair that we do the same to her. We're wasting our time with her anyway." He said with a tone colder than ice. Golo looked at Tali, how defenseless she looked and how uncooperative she had been lately. It was probably high time he cut his losses.

"Why not? She refuses to see reasoning. Better to put her down now and save myself the trouble later." Golo smirked. The commando nodded and cocked his shotgun. Tali stared down the barrel of the gun, staring at death if she didn't do something quickly.

The commando suddenly looked up along with the other ones and began firing at something behind her. All of the prisoners tried their best to make themselves as small as possible as gunfire entered the room.

Golo was distracted by the sudden firefight and Tali pulled her hand out of his grip and she crawled out of the way. Golo didn't seem to notice since he drew his assault rifle and began returning fire at the assailants.

As she escaped she could hear the commandos' cries of pain. Whoever showed up had some really great timing. Ahead of her was another door that some quarians were already trying to open. She pushed past them in an effort to get to the door, but most of them were too panicked and impatient to let her through.

Tali tried to push aside a large man in front of her, but he refused to move.

"Come on! Move!" she said with frustration.

The quarian looked back at her with a glare and went back to trying to open the door. Tali groaned and pushed him aside with all her might. The man stumbled to the side, grabbing on the wall for support. He cursed at Tali before other quarians began to pull him away, trying to get closer to the door.

Tali ignored everything around her as she hacked the door's locking mechanism. After a few agonizing seconds, the door slid open. Tali was almost trampled when all the quarians began to push their way out.

The wide hallway became flooded with quarians as they scattered. She couldn't see very far with all the people pushing and shoving. Before she knew it, she was all alone in the hall.

_I need to shut the door!_ She realized. She turned on her heels and dashed towards the semi-open door. She could still see a few commandos fighting somebody outside the room. She skidded to a stop and looked down at her open omni-tool.

She tapped as fast as she could, hoping to trap the commandos inside. The door began to wobble, struggling to close.

"Come on you bosh'tet!" Tali growled. "Don't break on me now!"

She tapped on her omni-tool harder as if it would make it go faster. The door closed a little bit more than stopped abruptly. Tali entered more commands as fast as she possibly could. Every second more tense than the last. The door beeped than began to close smoothly. Tali sighed in relief.

A hand shot out from behind the door and wrapped around her neck. Tali's eyes went wide with fear as she watched Golo put his free hand against the door and push it aside.

"You never give up, do you?" he smirked. A steady stream of blood poured from his shoulder. Despite his injury, he still was able to maintain his grip on her. The door closed behind him and the hinges sparked. The access panel turned red.

"Keelah, why won't you just die?" Tali said with hate.

"I'm not giving up until I kill you myself." Golo replied with an invisible smile. Tali tried to claw his arm, but he seemed to ignore it as he pushed her against the wall, his hand still tightly wrapped around her neck.

"Or you die trying." Tali said bravely. Golo chuckled, amused by her nerve.

"Well, we'll find out eventually, will we?" he challenged. Tali weighed her chances. Golo was bigger and stronger than her. But that wasn't a bad thing. She knew how to use that to her advantage.

Tali jumped as high as she could and wrapped her legs around his arm. The sudden weight on his injured shoulder forced him fall down with her.

Tali had the upper hand and began to deliver one powerful kick after another to the side of his head. Golo tried to push himself up but a fierce kick to his visor stopped him in his tracks. The blow had left a crack on the side of his visor.

Admitting that Tali actually was a threat, Golo grabbed her foot and twisted her ankle. She let out a yelp and Golo pushed her off of him. They both scrambled to their feet and Golo threw a punch aimed for her visor.

Tali took a quick step back, narrowly missing the shot, and gave a quick knee to his stomach. Golo gave a small cough then smacked Tali with the back on his hand, staggering her backwards.

"I have to admit, I underestimated you, Zorah." Golo coughed. Tali grinned under her helmet. She definitely left a mark.

"That happens a lot, and it always ends the same way." She replied confidently.

"Cocky one, aren't you? That's okay. It makes it that much more pleasurable when I kill you with my own hands. I'm going to enjoy this."

Golo quickly closed the distance between them and threw a right hook. Tali side-stepped and kicked him in the kidney. Golo stumbled a bit then retaliated with a punch to the stomach. The blow landed and Tali fell to her knees, trying to catch her breath.

Golo raised his fist and brought it down. Tali anticipated the attack and rolled out of the way. Golo hit the steel floor. He howled in pain and held is hands together. She took her chances and kicked him in the side of the head.

Golo fell to the floor and groaned. Tali dashed forward and stomped on his shoulder. Golo screamed in pain and clenched his teeth. Tali brought up her boot to do it again but Golo moved out his arm out of the way.

He rolled to his feet and the two engaged in a series of punches and kicks. Tali had to dodge most of them but every shot that landed wore her down. She threw a kicked aimed for his stomach, but Golo had caught it.

Now that he had the upper hand, he pulled her to him and drove both his fists into her stomach. The wind was knocked out of her and she was thrown into the air. She landed on her back, cradling her stomach.

"You're tough; I'll give you that much, Zorah. But you can't beat me." Golo grinned. Tali sat up while still tending to her stomach.

"I've beaten worse. I've already got the upper hand. You're pathetic, Golo. You've always been. I never lose, and I never will." She taunted. Golo frowned and pulled her up by her shoulder and pinned her to the wall.

"You're not in any position to be throwing insults, Zorah. " Golo said sternly. Tali pushed his hand off of her and threw a haymaker straight at his visor. The impact cracked the visor even further and even hurt Tali's hand.

Golo stumbled backwards, clutching his damaged mask. He snarled and threw a left hook. Tali ducked right and kicked Golo in the shin, causing him to collapse. Golo grabbed her foot and brought it out from under her, making her fall to the floor too.

Tali rolled away just as Golo threw an elbow. It hit the floor and he growled, trying to suppress his pain. Right then, Tali saw an opportunity to end the fight. The hoses that connected to his helmet.

She reached out and pulled out one of the hoses. A loud hissing noise could be heard as Tali ripped it off. Golo scrambled out of the way and felt for the hose. It was in Tali's hand. He quietly laughed, whether from amusement or disbelief, Tali couldn't tell.

He got up and stared her down. Tali dropped down into a fighting stance, the hose still in her hand. He pulled his hand back and charged her. Tali silently watched as the fist came closer to her visor, waiting for the right time.

She moved out of the way as fast as lightning and wrapped the hose around his arm. With it, she redirected the shot and made it land on the steel wall.

"Fuck!" Golo cried. He tried to reach over to Tali with his free hand, but the agile quarian was already moving behind him. She wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled out her knife.

She swiftly stabbed him in the back. Golo screamed as the blade plunged deep into his body. Tali pulled it out and began cutting all the hoses with the bloodied knife. Warning messages began to display on Golo's cracked mask.

He managed to bring up his elbow and strike her in the side of her helmet. Tali stumbled back, letting her knife fall to the floor. Pain shot up in down Golo's back as he reached down and scooped it up. His blood began to flow down his back.

Tali watched in fear as Golo held the knife threateningly in his hand and walk towards her, a small snicker escaping his lips. Tali tried to distance herself from him. But it didn't take long for her back to hit the wall. She was trapped now. There was nowhere she could run.

"I told you, you can't beat me." He smiled, his breathing a little shallow. The knife stopped inches from Tali's throat. She looked into his cold, steel eyes. He would not hesitate to kill her. Then she grinned.

"And I told you, I never lose."

The instant she said that, Golo felt something wrap around his neck. Tali spun around him and held both ends of a hose and pulled as hard as she could. Golo tried to reach for her but she kneed him in the back. A surge of pain went down his back as he fell to his knees.

Tali tied the hose together and pulled harder. Golo dropped the knife in a feeble attempt to pry the hose off, but it was too tight.

Tali strangled him as hard as she could. She could feel him trying to breath, but each breath was shorter than the last. He grabbed her hands to try to take them off, but his strength was being depleted.

Golo couldn't breathe anymore. His brain hurt as it began to die. His eyes glazed over as his life left him. In a last ditch effort, he hit Tali's arm, but it felt more like a pat. Golo let out a sharp exhale and his arms fell to his sides. His breathing stopped and so did his resistance.

Tali let go of the hose and Golo fell to the floor, lifeless. She fell to her knees as she watched her fallen enemy. So sure of himself and so sure that he would win. In the end, that was what ended his miserable life.

She saw her knife on the floor and picked it up, stained with his blood. She wiped it off as she said, "That was for everyone whose pain you caused."

She heard the door open and a squad of marines ran inside. They spotted Tali and the marine in front ran up to her.

"Miss Zorah, Admiral Rann received a distress signal from the Idenna. Are you okay?" she asked. Tali looked back down to Golo with a strange sense of pity.

"I'm fine. What happened to the commandos?" she asked solemnly, not taking her eyes off of Golo.

"They've been neutralized. Come with us, Admiral Rann wishes to get you out of here as quickly as possible." He replied, holding out his hand to her. Tali gave one last pitiful look at Golo and took it.

"The sooner we're out of here, the better."

The marine pulled her up and Tali walked past him and the group of marines.

"Alright everybody, let's move out." The commander ordered as he walked past them. The squad complied and followed closely behind.

Tali crossed the room, the bodies of the dead commandos at her feet. When she exited the room, she saw two dead marines. She didn't think for a second that their lives were in vain.

For once in her life, she was devoid of emotion. She should feel relieved that it was all over, but she didn't. She never even found out what happened to Gillian or the other humans she talked about.

_How could this have happened? _She wondered. Why couldn't the admiralty board get here sooner? They were supposed to protect their people. Stop things like this before they happened. Why did it take this long for them to react?

So much was lost today, but chief among them was Tali's faith in the admiralty. She couldn't help but wonder one thing.

Was he right?

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><p><strong>This feels like the end of this story but it's not. It's far from over. We still have two years to cover after all. So feel free to review and special thanks goes out to SergiusTheGreat for giving me some inspiration in the fight scene.<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

After going back to work and getting hit by a car on the way out of a market, (I'm fine, shopping cart took most of the hit.) here's chapter 12. It took a little longer than I wanted to, but at least I got it out.

Liege Lord: Thanks. I felt inspired when writing the fight after listening to a couple good songs. I'm proud of the end result.

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><p>Chapter 12: Catch-22<p>

Tali was pacing inside a small room with a medical cot and a desk. The marines had escorted her to a shuttle that took her to the Tonbay for medical treatment. When she arrived, the nurse told her that since the doctor was away on personal matters, she'd be taken care of by his protégé.

Tali was a little nervous about that. She had faith in the protégé's ability, but she couldn't help but be worried about the absence of skill that the doctor had. She hoped that the doctor's student would get here soon to get it over with.

Right on cue the door _swooshed _open and a female quarian with a gold suit walked in with a datapad in hand. She looked up at Tali for only a second before sitting at the desk. After a minute of silence, the quarian stood up and asked in a cheery tone, "What seems to be the problem?"

Rather than answer her question, Tali showed the woman her gunshot wound. The woman held her arm gently to look closely at the wound.

"It's in there pretty good." She said without taking her eyes off of the wound. "Might need some anesthesia for something like this."

As Tali watched the doctor inspect the wound, she noticed that her voice sounded very familiar. It almost sounded like a close friend of hers.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt you but what's your name." Tali asked. The woman met her eyes for a second before going back to her injury.

"My name is Ryla. Ryla'Orave." She replied. Tali let out a sharp gasp which caught Ryla's attention.

"Ryla, it's me Tali."

She let go of Tali's hand and studied her. It didn't take long before she embraced Tali with a laugh.

"Tali, I can't believe it's you!" She said with a giddy expression. "It's been so long."

"Two years." Tali said without much enthusiasm. Ryla quickly noticed her friend's absence of emotion and let her go.

"You don't sound too happy, Tali." She said. Tali sighed, clasping her hands together.

"I've got a lot on my mind right now." She replied. Ryla crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side.

"You've said that more times than I can count, Tali. Care to explain your troubles or just give me vague answers like you usually did?" she joked. Normally Tali would just give her the vague answer, but this time was different. The problems she had two years ago paled in comparison to the ones she had now.

"No, no I'm actually going to talk to you this time. Maybe you can help me settle my nerves." Tali replied. Ryla smiled under her mask and pointed two fingers toward the cot.

"Go ahead and take a seat. I'll take care of that injury of yours while you tell me what's going on." She said. Tali nodded and sat on the small cot while Ryla walked over to a nearby cabinet.

"I don't really know where to start." Tali said hesitantly. Ryla opened the cabinet and began searching for some supplies.

"Just start with whatever makes you feel more comfortable." Ryla suggested as she picked up a small box and read its inscription. Tali sat quietly in thought. It took her a few moments before she said something.

"Do you ever feel like the Admiralty isn't doing everything it could be?"

That question caught Ryla off-guard. She looked back at Tali with a puzzled expression, the small box still in her hand.

"Is there something that makes you think that?" Ryla asked as she approached her.

"I saw what happened in the Idenna. So many people died, many more are going to be scarred for life and…the Admiralty just didn't get there fast enough." Tali said. Ryla sat down next to her as she opened the small container.

"You can't expect the marines to get there instantly, Tali. From what I heard, it took a while before they could get a distress signal out." Ryla said.

"I know, but it's not just that. The Admiralty Board is responsible for the safety of the Migrant Fleet. There had never been an infiltration before now. It makes me think, is the Admiralty Board getting worse?"

Ryla didn't have an answer. She hardly ever knew what was going on in politics. Instead of answering Tali's question, she went back to trying to treat her wound.

"I don't know, Tali. The Admiralty had always kept the flotilla alive. Whether it'd be making the hard choices or overruling the Conclave. We have to trust that they know what's best." Ryla said while she pulled out a needle and injected Tali with a clear liquid.

"But what if they don't know what's best? What if they only looking at the now instead of the later? There was an exile onboard the Idenna. He said that within a century, the flotilla will die." Tali replied. Ryla couldn't help but scoff.

"He's exiled for a reason, Tali. You can't trust his type. They're all deviants and traitors. People who are up for exile are either low-life scum or ignorant of the quarian cause. You're lucky that your father is an admiral, no one is ever going to question your loyalty." She said as pulled out a pair of pliers.

"Now, the anesthesia I gave you should be kicking in around now. Time to get to that bullet out of you." Ryla added. She gently held Tali's arm and positioned the pliers over her wound. Before Tali could get a word out, Ryla plunged the pliers into the wound.

Tali didn't feel much. Ryla was completely focused on the task at hand. It gave Tali a chance to reflect on everything. Despite all the things that had happened recently, Tali being treated for a gunshot wound made her think back to the Normandy, after they had taken out a Cerberus base.

…

The med-bay door quietly opened and Shepard briskly stepped inside. Tali was sitting on one of the medical beds, nursing her right arm. As soon as Shepard saw her, he rushed to her side. When the door shut behind him, the decontamination cycle started.

"Are you okay? How do you feel?" he asked in rapid-fire. Tali looked at her arm. It was more painful than it looked.

Despite the pain, Tali said, "Its fine. It's just a graze."

Shepard held her arm and examined the injury. Tali slightly blushed as Shepard held her arm gently but firmly. Shepard carefully traced the injury with his finger, being careful not to hurt her.

"It doesn't look fine, Tali." He said.

"It doesn't really hurt. But I admit it does worry me." Tali said softly. Shepard grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"Don't be. I'll fix this right up." Shepard said with a smile. Tali was surprised that Shepard offered to help her. She didn't know he had any medical experience.

"What about Doctor Chakwas?" Tali asked as she watched Shepard pull up a chair next to her.

"She's busy tending to Ashley down in the cargo bay. She asked me to help you repair your suit, so here I am." Shepard explained. "So, what can I do to help you?"

"Well…can you get that box over there?" Tali asked while she pointed at a steel box in the corner.

"Of course, princess." Shepard joked. Tali couldn't help but giggle at his teasing.

"Shepard, I'm not royalty." She said playfully as she watched Shepard pick up the box. "You don't need to call me that."

"What if I want to call you that?" Shepard replied. Tali giggled and wringed her hands nervously.

"Well I'm okay with it. You can be the only one who can call me that, though." She said, looking back at him. Shepard walked back to her and dropped the box on the bed.

"Nice, I get preferential treatment." Shepard chuckled. Tali laughed with him.

"Don't abuse it Shepard. I'd hate to take it away from you." She joked in a sultry tone. It drove Shepard crazy sometimes.

Shepard held his hands up innocently and said, "Hey, I'll try hard not to offend you. I'd hate to suffer the wrath from your father."

"You're pushing it, Shepard." Tali said with a laugh. There was a period of silence while Tali opened the steel container. Inside was the same metal cast that she wore when they first met.

"Tali," Shepard said in a much more serious tone. "I'm sorry that this happened to you. It's my fault that you got hurt."

Tali looked at him. He face was sad, regretful even. He sat back down in his chair and put his hands together. "If I hadn't been so busy looking through useless crap I could have noticed those bastards sneaking up behind you."

Tali wringed her hands together. Seeing Shepard feel regret was something that had only happen once before, when he came back from a mission on Ontarom to save a scientist. He looked different and the radiated with sorrow. She never asked him about it though; she always thought it was best that she didn't go poking in his business.

"You need to stop blaming yourself, Shepard. I don't hate you. You couldn't have predicted what would have happened. I'm fine, Shepard, and thank you for saving my life." Tali said sincerely. Shepard let the smallest smile grow on his lips.

"Thanks Tali." He said with a much more happy tone. He gently squeezed Tali's hand and picked up the metal cast from the box. "So I guess you'll need my help?"

Tali felt a warmth in her chest. She almost didn't hear him for a second. She realized that she was staring at him a little too long and quickly looked away.

"I'd appreciate it, Shepard." She said softly. Shepard smiled and moved to the nearby medi-gel dispenser. The dispenser sensed Shepard's presence and automatically dispensed a packet of medi-gel. Shepard walked back to Tali with the packet in hand.

"This might sting a bit." Shepard said as he sat down beside her. He tore off the corner of the packet and poured a small amount of the gel onto his hand. Tali braced herself as the gel made contact with the graze. The gel slowly healed her wound as Tali let out a small grunt.

Shepard let go and Tali let out a long breath. The miracle gel began numbing the pain and Tali felt a little relieved from getting past the worst part.

"Thanks Shepard." She whispered. Shepard patted her on her shoulder.

"Don't mention it." Shepard replied. Tali blushed at his friendliness. There were so many things about him that made her the way she was around him. He was caring about everybody and was above the usual racism that she came across before she met him. And even though Shepard was a military man, there was still a human side of him. Like he was never scarred by the things he saw or did.

Every day he would go down to see her. He would see if she was okay and if she needed anything. He had been like that ever since Tali joined the Normandy's crew. The two of them would talk for what seemed like hours and every time he left, Tali would miss him. He was the only person she could connect with. She wanted to be near him.

He was strong and attractive too. Tali would melt every time he smiled at her. She often caught herself staring into his eyes. And every time she would look away and mumble to herself.

It was more than physical attraction too. He had an air of confidence about him and he was immovable. He always dealt with his problems head on and never backed down from anything, no matter how impossible.

Plus, he was the captain of the most sophisticated ship Tali had ever seen. Quarian captains are well-respected in the Migrant Fleet. Therefore, Tali immediately respected him, and the intimate feelings she had for him grew from there.

The same feelings rose within her as she silently watched Shepard fiddle with the metal cast. Her heart demanded that she tell him how she felt. To open her heart to him, but she couldn't. She heard the rumors about him and Ashley or Liara.

She wanted to be happy, but more than that, she wanted Shepard to be happy. And as much as it pained her to admit it, she couldn't do that. It would be selfish to keep him when she was stuck in her suit and there were millions of other women who would throw themselves at him if given the chance.

Tali never had these strong feelings before. Whenever the two of them meet she would feel butterflies in her stomach. They wouldn't leave until Shepard did. She prayed that one day, when she was confident enough, she could tell him everything. What she felt for him and what he meant to her.

Until then she couldn't rush things. She knew that feelings have to come and grow naturally. She hoped that this was the case for Shepard.

"The gel should take care of the rest. So now we have to cover up that puncture." Shepard guessed.

Tali was taken out of her thoughts. "Yes, of course. I can handle this myself." Shepard handed her the metal cast and she loosened the valves that held it together.

While she was busy loosening the cast, Tali asked, "Shepard, can I ask you something?"

Shepard hummed a yes and watched Tali put on pieces of the metal cast, among other things.

_Damn, she has a really nice body._

Shepard couldn't help himself, really. Her appearance was the first thing that attracted Shepard. After that, the attraction had become far deeper.

Tali was a very respectful person. She was always in good spirits and her enthusiasm was a breath of fresh air.

There were so many other things that drew him to her, but he didn't know what they were. He just had these feelings and they were getting stronger by the day. It was getting harder to maintain his usual composure around her.

Shepard realized that Tali was still waiting for an answer. "Of course." He said with a smile. He could barely hear Tali's quiet mumbles. Before he could ask her what it was about, she spoke up bluntly.

"What happened down at Ontarom? When I saw you, you looked depressed. Is everything okay?"

The feelings Shepard felt when he saw Toombs again, along with knowing that the massacre of his unit was intentional, lingered in the back of his mind. Tali's question brought all of them back like a tidal wave. Flashes of emotion passed through his face faster than Tali could read them.

"I just met an old friend. It brought up some feelings that are…best left forgotten." He said glumly. Tali automatically scooted closer to him without a second thought.

"Is everything alright?" she asked with genuine concern. Shepard let out a small sigh and replied.

"Not really. But eventually it will. Thanks for your concern, Tali. It means a lot that you would care about me." Shepard said sincerely. Tali felt touched by his words. Shepard was always listening to everyone else's problems, and Tali was probably the only one that ever listened to his.

"Um…you're welcome, Shepard. I'm always here if you need me." She said a little nervously. Shepard met eyes with her, her expression unreadable behind the mask. Sometimes he wished that it wasn't there. It would make things easier to see what she felt instead of relying on what she said.

He let a small grin grow on his lips and patted Tali on the shoulder. "You always have been. You know, I'm going to miss you when you go back to your people."

"I'm still here though, Shepard. I'll make the most of my time here." Tali said in a cheery tone. It was a lie and she knew it. If she truly was going to make the most of her time, she would have told Shepard about her feelings.

"I know you will. But when you do, I promise that I won't forget about you." Shepard said. Tali had to fight the urge to hug him when he said that.

"And I…I won't forget about you. You can count on it." She said. Shepard nodded then let go of her shoulder. The two sat in a somewhat comfortable silence. Then out of nowhere, Tali tightly embraced him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in.

Shepard was surprised by the sudden hug, but it didn't stop him from putting his hands on her waist. For what seemed like an eternity they held each other, neither of them making a sound. Tali soon let go of Shepard, a little too soon for either of them.

Tali felt deeply embarrassed. Her cheeks were burning and she blushed furiously. "I...um... I can take this from here, Shepard. You should… you should see if Doctor Chakwas needs your help."

Shepard smile fell to a neutral face. He would much rather stay with her, but he couldn't deny her request.

"Yeah, okay. I'll go do that."

Shepard stood up and left the med-bay without a word. He stopped next to his locker and leaned against it, an excerpt from a familiar poem in his mind.

_We wear the mask that grins and lies,  
>It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,<br>This debt we pay to human guile,  
>With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,<br>And mouth with myriad subtleties._

He rubbed his nose-bridge with a question in his mind, one that was hard to forget.

Will she ever feel the same way?

…

"Hey Tali, are you okay?" Ryla asked. Tali stopped staring blankly at the wall and looked at her.

"What do you mean?" she asked, unaware of what she was doing earlier. Ryla looked at her with confused face.

"You were sniffling for like a few minutes. Something wrong?" she asked while setting a box of suit patches on a tray. Tali had no idea that she was a stone's throw away from crying. Now that she thought about it, she could feel the near-birth of tears around her eyes.

"I was just thinking about everything that was happening on the Idenna. It's a lot to take in." she lied.

Ryla cocked her head to the side. "Okay, whatever you say. I was about to tell you that your father is here. He wants to speak with you."

Before Tali could ask why, the door to the room flew open and Rael took a few brisk steps inside. Ryla turned to him and slightly bowed.

"Admiral Zorah." She greeted. Rael gave her a curt nod.

"I wish to be alone with my daughter, Ryla." He said. She nodded and quickly exited the room. Now that the two were alone, Rael took his time to see if he daughter was seriously injured. When he saw that she was only shot once, he spoke.

"Now that you're patched up and ready to go, I've got an assignment for you."

Tali gritted her teeth under her mask. How can her own father not even ask if she was alright? She would have at least taken an 'I hope you're okay.'

"What do you want?" she asked with a little more venom than she intended but her father didn't seem to notice, or pretended to.

"What happened at the Idenna was unfortunate, but there is a silver lining." He started. He activated his omni-tool and tapped it a few times. "It showed that you are able to survive on your own."

"So what does that mean? Are you going to take me somewhere?" Tali asked while she examined the patched up puncture. Ryla had used just enough to make the repair seamless. It looked as if she never had a puncture at all.

"Yes and no." Rael replied. "After what happened at the Idenna, the Admiralty Board decided to let a small portion of the flotilla's ships to wander the galaxy to find new planets to colonize on. Of course this is wonderful news for Koris, but we're only going to do this for a while."

Tali hopped off the cot and approached her father. "So what does this have to do with me?"

"You're going with them. They're going to be checking out uncharted worlds. They'd do well if they had someone that could protect their excavation teams. You'll be going with two platoons of marines." Rael said. He headed back towards the door.

Tali didn't follow him; she just looked down at the floor and asked, "When do I go?"

"Tomorrow, early in the morning. Be on time."

Rael left without waiting for Tali's response. She was left alone again, with her thoughts and worries.

* * *

><p>The poem that Shepard is thinking about is called We Wear The Mask by Paul Laurence Dunbar. Nice piece of poetry I found during the day.<p>

Hoped you enjoyed the chapter and don't hesitate to review!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do. I hate work.


	13. Chapter 13

Been feeling inspired as of late so I managed to get this one done faster than I thought. Which is a pretty good thing I'd wager. Enjoy! :)

Special thanks goes out the for giving me some medication for my case of writer's block. Every five seconds, a writer suffers from this terrible tragedy. For only ten seconds a day, you can donate to writers in need of ideas, plots, and characters. Really guys, go help out a writer, you'll feel good about it.

Liege Lord: I love foreshadowing. Almost as much as I love sea food. *waves crab leg in the air* Tastes great dipped in melted butter. Aaaaand, now I'm hungry.

Tangyman: Seems that I really nail Rael's lack of concern. I'd give myself about a 96 on that.

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><p>Chapter 13: Veni, Vidi, Vici<p>

She didn't know what to do. Darkness consumed her room; the only light source being the holographic clock next to her bed. The halls of the Idenna were silent; there was only the occasional sound of someone walking down the hall or two or more people chatting. Every hour or so someone would walk inside to see if she was okay. She would only reply with a quick nod or shake her head.

The Idenna wasn't able to leave as soon as Rael expected much to his discontent. The damage done by Cerberus left the ship's systems in disarray. During that time, Tali stayed onboard to help in whatever way she could. When she got back on the Idenna, she was treated as a hero. The same way Shepard was treated when he defeated Saren.

The attack on the Idenna was three weeks ago. Everyday Tali got up early to check on the progress of the ship's recovery. But today she felt…depressed. It had been well over a month now since Shepard died. Tali just lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling with a blank expression.

Even when she was up her mood didn't change any, rather it got worse. There had been several occasions when she argued, sometimes heatedly, with someone else. She didn't even know she was doing it half the time.

She hit rock bottom. Nothing seemed to make her feel any better. The only thing that would clear her mind would be work, but even then she would feel distracted.

_I'd give anything to have Shepard back. _she thought.

She took a quick stretch, arcing her back and curling her toes. She could hear a few pops and relaxed. She got up from bed and looked at the clock. It read 05:37. Most of the crew would still be asleep.

The curtains to her temporary quarters opened. A male quarian stepped in and slid the curtains closed behind him.

"Miss Zorah. I've come to inform you that captain Mal has given the order to disengage from the fleet. The Idenna and two other ships are going on the expedition as we speak." He said. Tali acknowledged his report without much of a reply.

"So how long until we reach a planet? Are we going to a specific one?" She asked in an emotionless tone. The quarian shook his head.

"No. We're wandering like the flotilla; hopefully we'll find a planet soon and get to work."

_Funny, it seems like all we do is wander._

"Is that all you came to tell me?" she asked. The quarian shifted awkwardly.

"Er…yes." Came the uneasy reply. Tali looked at her clock and back to him.

"Then if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone right now." She said. The quarian nodded and briskly walked out of her cubicle. She was left again in the darkness of her room.

Tali was becoming much more anti-social, and she knew it. There wasn't much she could do about it. It just happened. But the truth was that she wasn't in the mood to talk to anybody right now. She closed her eyes, trying to relax her tense mind.

As far as she knew, she would never be relaxed. But she could always do what she's been doing her entire life. Try.

…

The days drifted on. Nothing interesting happened on the Idenna. Tali's work would eventually become routine. The days turned to weeks, and weeks to months. Tali sometimes didn't even know what year it was. Then in the last month of 2183, the Idenna spotted an unknown planet. From their scans, they determined it to be a half-oasis, half-desert world. Captain Mal gave the order to send a small exploration team. Onboard the shuttle was Tali, five marines, and three scientists.

"Planet is being named Conicu for the time-being." One of the scientists said. "I've searched the council databases and I haven't found any match of terrain to this planet. Therefore, it's unclaimed."

"That's good. Once we touch down, we'll go look for some shelter. Captain Mal wants us to survive out here for as long as we can while we study planet viability." Another scientist replied.

Tali wasn't listening in on the conversation. She looked through the shuttle's small window at the planet below. The planet had a brown and tan hue with a few dots of green. While the planet was mostly desert, there were a few small forests that dotted the landscape.

"Any atmosphere readings?" the last scientist asked. The first one shook his head.

"We'll be able to find out once we touch down. Marines, be prepared for anything. We don't have a solid report on any wildlife."

After twenty minutes, the shuttle landed on the desert planet. The doors swung open and everyone stepped out. As soon as the scientists touched the ground, they began scanning everything they could find.

"It's much colder here than we thought. 68 degrees." One of the scientists commented. Tali tested the firmness of the soil with her boot. The sand sunk under the weight, some of it fell onto her foot.

"I'm picking up some silicon deposits as well as some mineral deposits. Could be useful." Another scientist said. Several of the marines looked bored from watching the scientists go about their work.

"We can't stay here for long, guys." One of them said. The lead scientist groaned.

"Very well, very well. Five of you marines can go look for some shelter. Contact us when you have a suitable location." He said. One of them marines shrugged.

"I think I'll stay here." He said. "Better than risking my neck out in some hostile environment."

"Whatever you say. Let's go, guys." The squad leader ordered. "Miss Zorah, you may accompany us if you wish."

Tali nodded and followed closely to the group of marines. The group began their trek across the cool desert.

"Geez, there's a whole lot of nothing out here." One of them said as they walked down a sand dune. The marine in front kicked over a stone.

"Rannoch was like this in the beginning, Ara. A whole lot of nothing, then it grew and its people flourished. It may not look like much now, but in due time, it will be a hallmark of quarian civilization." He said confidently.

"Assuming the council doesn't try to bomb us when we start." She replied. Tali frowned at the mention of them. She didn't trust the council, or like them for that matter. Not after what they did with Shepard's funeral.

"They won't know about this." The other marine replied. "At least, I hope they won't. But you can bet that we'll be fighting for this planet if it's a good enough candidate."

They spent the rest of the walk in total silence. They would occasionally stop to observe some of the local flora, but they were all harmless. Eventually, the group hit one of the small parts of rainforest.

The trees were massive. They reached high in the sky and its trunks were thick and strong. The branches reached out and seem to touch the sun itself.

"We might be able to make some shelter here. Look for anything of use." The squad leader ordered. All of the marines went their separate ways. Tali walked off behind a tree, wandering in a random direction. She wasn't actually paying attention to where she was going, being in nature made her mind wander.

She didn't know how long she was walking. She would occasionally marvel at the planets or insects, but she lost interest pretty quickly. The sun hung in the sky. Tali guessed that it would soon be evening. She had to get back to her squad soon. Her stomach then began to growl.

_Guess I have to get something to eat too._

She scanned the forest for any sign of her squad, but there was an unusual silence. Before, there were the squawks of birds and the chirpings of insects, but now there was nothing, it was unsettling.

Tali activated her radio and said, "Hey is there anyone out there? "

There was a brief pause until someone said, "I'm here Miss Zorah. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just wanted to know where you guys are. I'm a little lost out here." She answered.

"So were we, until Ara found a decent spot for shelter; we were just about to go look for you. Some marines went out to scavenge for food. We'll send them your way." The marine replied.

"I'll stay put here then." Tali said. She cut the channel and settled down on a nearby log. Despite the serenity of being in nature, Tali still felt uneasy. Like something was watching her in the trees. A quick scan told her that she was alone, but the feelings wouldn't go away.

She readied her mind to grab her pistol in case it was true. Her heart began to beat faster. Her instincts screamed at her that something was very wrong.

Just when she was about to get up and move somewhere else, she felt something drip down her hood and onto her shoulders. She looked down and saw that her shoulder was covered in saliva. She wiped the drool off with a look of disgust on her face. Then her repulsion turned to terror when a thought crossed her mind. Where did it come from? Her answer came only moments later.

There was a low growl that seemed to echo throughout the whole forest. But Tali knew exactly where it came from: above her.

She dared to look up. A large, menacing beast was standing over her, watching her with green, beady eyes. Large horns protruded from its head and pointed at her. The beast looked like something out of a dream. It growled louder, showing its short, jagged teeth.

_Oh Keelah…_

Tali got up and walked backwards; away from it. The beast was much taller than she expected, and much more terrifying. It was twice her size and was walking on all fours.

"Miss Zorah, are you okay?"

Tali looked to her right and saw two marines jogging towards her, oblivious to the imposing creature. Tali held her hand up without taking her eyes off the massive animal. The marines slowed to a stop with puzzled expressions. It wasn't until they looked at whatever Tali was looking at did they become alarmed.

"You have got to be kidding me." One of them mumbled. The other marine instantly raised his weapon at the beast.

"Oram, stand down!" the marine chastised. The stubborn marine didn't listen and fired at the creature without warning. The bullets ricocheted off the creature's brown hide. The beast turned its attention away from Tali to Oram. It let out a blood-curdling howl that nearly deafened all of them. Its five foot tail began to wag ferociously, a warning the jumpy marine.

"Oram god damn it, I told you to stand down!" the marine shouted as he tried to pull the rifle away from him. Oram shoved him away and kept firing. The beast let out another howl and charged straight at him. Its tail hit Tali right in the gut and launched her into the air.

She landed harshly on her back and stayed there, unmoving. The hardheaded marine finally got it through his thick skull that he made a mistake and tried to run, but the beast grabbed him and held him high in the air like a trophy.

"Oh Keelah, help me! HELP ME!" he shouted, futilely hitting the beast's hand. The creature seemed to laugh at his efforts. It brought its hand closer to its mouth. The marine's eyes widened when he saw his friend about to be eaten.

He brought u his shotgun and fired at the beast's eyes. Blood spurted out and the creature screamed in pain, letting Oram go. He fell to the ground and desperately crawled towards his rifle. The creature, now blind in one eye, saw Oram going for his weapon and growled.

It held its mighty fist up in the air and brought it down with tremendous force. The forest shook for the impact and the screams of a marine echoed through the foliage.

"ORAM!"

The marine fired at the beast in anger. It turned around and charged at him. The marine, holstered his shotgun and ran through the thick bushes, the beast on his tail. He tripped over a jutted root but quickly pulled himself up and kept running.

Tali regained consciousness in time to see what was going on. The beast was running after one of the marines, and heading straight for her. She pulled herself up to her knees and took out her pistol. She fired a few well-aimed shots and hit the beast in its mouth.

Blood shot out from its cheek and it whimpered in pain. It turned its head toward her as the marine passed her. She ran after him.

"Where the hell did that thing come from?" the marine shouted and he blindly fired his shotgun over his shoulder.

"It just came out of nowhere! Does it matter? We need to get away from it!" Tali replied.

"You have a point. Let's split up!" the marine suggested. "It can't come after both of us. One of us can go for help!"

It wasn't the greatest plan but it was the only one they had. "Alright." She said.

"Break off on three. One…two…THREE!"

Tali took a sharp turn to the right while the marine went left. Even though it would be wrong, she hoped that the beast wouldn't come after her. Those hopes were dashed when the rumbling of the beast's steps didn't stop.

The tremors made as the beast ran after her began to get closer. Tali knew she didn't have much of a chance to kill the beast, she had to escape!

She jumped off a small cliff and landed on her feet, she looked up and saw that the beast wasn't going to hesitate to jump off. Tali jumped over a small river and ran alongside it. The ground shook as the beast landed on the ground. The force made Tali fall on the floor. Adrenaline pumping through her, she scurried back up to her feet with the beast closing in.

Tali skidded to a stop when she reached the unexpected end of the river. It was a straight drop down, nearly two hundred feet.

_This can't be happening. This can't be happening._

She looked back. The beast stopped a few meters away, daring her to either jump or run again. It lowly growled and advanced on her. Tali pulled out her pistol and fired round after round into the beast. Each one made her heart sink as the beast refused to go down.

She pulled the trigger again, but only a clicking sound. She was out of ammo. She silently cursed at herself for not bringing any spare clips. She threw the gun at the beast, hitting it in the face and only making it angrier.

Tali stepped back as far as she could go. One more step and she would have plummeted straight down.

_Straight down…_

Tali looked down off the cliff. There was a pool of water where the waterfall stopped. She didn't know how deep the water was but it was her only chance of escaping.

"You're going to have to work for your food, bosh'tet."

The beast seemed to have understood her; it let out an angry howl that made it difficult to concentrate and charged. Its gaping maw snapped viciously as it came closer to its prey. Tali turned around and jumped off the cliff. She could feel the teeth of the beast merely inches away from her.

She dropped down alongside the waterfall. Air was rushing past her like a jet engine. She flailed her limbs about, a part of her hoping to catch a branch to spare herself from the fall.

She hit the water hard. Her back felt like it was being stabbed by thousands of needles. She frantically tried to swim back up, but the current of the water pushed her away. She couldn't see anything in the dirty water and panic began to rise within her.

Finally, her hand broke the surface and she flailed around like a fish out of water. Her head came next and she wildly thrashed about.

Her hand caught a jutting root from the muddy banks and she held on to it for her life. She felt exhausted, only able to hold on to the root while letting the rest of her body be moved by the powerful current.

While trying to catch her breath, she looked up and saw the beast looking down at her. It howled once more then ran off into the dense forest. Tali turned away from the cliff and focused on trying to pull herself up to the shore.

Her arms felt sore, she was too weak to fight the powerful rapids. She desperately tried to hold her grip, but one of her hands slipped. It didn't take long for her other hand to lose strength and for her to be swept away from the current.

She was left to the current's mercy. The only thing she could do was hope to Keelah that she would be delivered to safety.

…

The marine wandered the forest. He was trying to find a way back to Oram to see if he was still alive. He came across large footprints and kept following them until he reached where Tali was.

"Oh Keelah, Oram." He muttered when he saw him lying in the dirt. He quickly ran to his side and almost gagged when he saw Oram's flattened legs. Blood was splattered in every direction and his bones were probably shattered to pieces. His legs looked like an empty food tube.

"I fucked up, Haro." He said below a whisper. Haro nearly jumped when he talked. He didn't think he was still alive.

"You must be blessed by the ancestor's because there is no way you should be alive now." He remarked. He grabbed Oram by the shoulder and tried to flip him onto his back. Oram screamed in pain when he barely moved an inch.

"Nalt." Haro cursed. "Stay here, Oram. I'll go get some help."

Oram looked up at him with an icy glare. "Oh fuck you, Haro. It's not like I'm going somewhere."

Haro inwardly groaned and stood up. The shelter was a about a mile away. He had to get there fast before Oram bled out. He sprinted off through the thick foliage, wondering what happened to Tali.


	14. Chapter 14

**Now gather round children. Im'ma tell you 'bout the time a young girl in purple fought against the forces of nature.**

**Liege Lord: Can't leave out the canon story. I get yelled at if I miss the canon story. Still, I'll make a filet mignon out of these events, just you watch.**

**Mapped: Getting hit by the car wasn't fun. I've been hurt so much by so many things that I should start making a list. And we're not even close to the end. Not even close. *sits back in rocking chair.***

**Mastermind4892: WHAT? *insert Darth Vader's No* well, I knew that someday I'd get something from the lore wrong. Thanks for letting me know though. It should be fixed now.**

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><p>Chapter 14: Mother Nature<p>

Tali could feel the cool water rush up to her boots and come back down. It was relaxing in a way. A veil to hide the brutality that hid underneath it. She had been lying there for a while now, the image of the horrid creature still fresh in her mind.

She licked her dry lips and pushed herself up from the wet sand. She had wasted enough time lying there and trying to regain her strength. Small bits of the grimy crystals still clung to her suit. She looked up at the sky, the sun was almost setting. If she didn't find shelter soon she'd be left to the mercy of whatever came out at night.

In front of her was the forest. And as far as she knew, the beast hasn't come back to try to claim its prize. She dashed into the forest, the barbs on the branches scratched her suit, but she didn't care. She only wanted to get out of there.

She slowed to a stop in a small clearing. Vines hanged low from the high branches of the trees. The sound of other animals comforted her. It let her know the beast wasn't around.

Her stomach made a low growl. She hadn't eaten anything in a while. She sat down on a nearby rock and prepared one of the food tubes in her suit, but a shiver ran up her spine, and so did something else. Eight furry legs latched onto her suit and a large body pressed itself against her back.

Tali jumped up in fright and pried the animal off her back and threw it against a tree. The thing looked like a gray and brown spider but with two eyes, a mouth with razor-sharp teeth, and a horn protruding from its head. It had to be at least four feet long.

It looked at her with shiny eyes and began making a ticking noise. It raised its front two legs and charged her. Tali fell down on her back and planted her feet under the spider. In one swift motion she redirected the spider's momentum over her and onto a rock. It seamlessly crawled around and faced her again.

It let out another fierce ticking sound and spit a pale green acid at her. She didn't realize how dangerous it was until it was too late.

The spit hit her square in the chest and instantly began to eat away at her suit. Tali grabbed her chest in surprise and winced at the faint heat. The acid didn't eat completely through her suit, but another shot would.

Tali scowled and drew her knife. The two slowly circled each other, the spider making its threatening ticking noise and raising its two front legs. It let out a screech and rose to its hind legs, spitting acid on the floor. The grass smoked when it made contact with the hazardous fluid.

Leaves fell from the trees when the spider finished its taunt. It was as if nature was perfectly synched with itself, as if it was a breathing, sentient thing. And maybe it was.

The spider fell back on all eight legs. But to Tali's surprise, it began to convulse violently. It shriveled up and curled into a ball. Tali raised an eyebrow in confusion. Did it give up?

She stepped a little bit closer to it but still kept her knife ready. The spider hadn't moved at all. She stopped right in front of it and tapped it with her foot. The only reaction was a slight shiver and its hair slowly moving in the breeze.

_Best to leave it alone and get out of here. _She thought. She turned and put one foot down, before she heard a sickening crack. She quickly turned around and saw the spider begin to move again. It sprang out of its ball and knocked Tali to the ground.

Before she could recover, the thing bit down on her boot and began to shake her, thrashing her around the ground as if she were a toy. Tali was barely able to register that the armor of her boot was beginning to crack from the gnawing.

She tried unsuccessfully to cut or stab the spider. It threw her up into the air and Tali landed on her back in the hard dirt. The wind was knocked out of her and she went into a coughing fit, clinging tightly on her knife. She cracked her eyes open and watched the spider screeching and running around as if it were on fire.

_What in Keelah's name is it doing?_

Tali got up to her feet in time for the spider to face her once more. Its shiny black eyes slowly tinted into a pale red. The black color that was once there now shrunk down to small circles. It fangs made a cracking sound as they grew larger. Its horn began to secrete a shiny liquid that dripped onto the ground.

The spider hopped into the air, pointing its horn directly at her. Tali jumped out of the way and the horn buried itself into the ground. The spider tried to pull its horn out, making a frustrated screech as it tried fruitlessly.

Tali brought her knife up and stabbed the spider right above the eyes. Its red blood spewed out and covered Tali from head to toe but she kept stabbing it.

Suddenly the horn came out of the dirt and slashed Tali on her waist. She shouted in pain and fell to the ground. She clutched the wound and gritted her teeth. She could feel blood falling through her fingers. She watched the spider crawl towards her triumphantly.

Tali shut her eyes, hoping this was a dream. The spider seemed to smell her, pressing its mouth against her. Tali felt drowsy. Whatever was on the spider's horn was making her woozy. The spider pressed its horn against her lightly. It was probably making sure she was out cold, or worse.

Panic rose within her. Her heart beat faster as her eyelids fell.

_Keelah help me._

The last thing she heard was her suit warnings and her suit trying to analyze the foreign toxic in her bloodstream.

_Dangerous toxin detected. Analyzing contaminant. Vital signs…critical. Neurotoxin detected…running antidote functions. Warning, no medication present to combat toxin. Substituting with container X531._

…

Haro kept his shotgun steady, navigating the thick foliage while staying vigilant for anything hostile. He hadn't found the shelter yet, but he assumed it was pretty close. The fallen leaves cracked under the weight of his foot. Haro silently cursed at himself. Anything could hear the incessant cracking and discover him, hoping for a nice lunch.

"Tyren Haro'Lokola calling in. Can you read me?" he said into his radio. The only response was static. The forest was interfering with his signal. He inwardly sighed. "Damn it."

A trickle of sweat travelled down his brow. He cranked up the temperature on his suit for the fourth time. The heat was becoming unbearable. He was so focused on his omni-tool that he stumbled over a corpse of something. He caught himself on a broken tree trunk and looked back on what he tripped over. What he saw shocked him.

A dead quarian covered in mud and dirt. His visor was shattered and he was missing an arm. Haro walked over and flipped him on his back. From what Haro could recognize, he was one of the scientists. That meant one of two things: he went off on his own and was killed or the shelter was attacked.

Next to the corpse Haro found a large footprint. He stepped over the mangled body and examined it. It was huge, oddly familiar too. His finger traced the subtle curves. The contour struck a resemblance to something he'd seen before. Then it hit him. The footprint came from that massive creature he just ran from.

The discovery put him more on edge. It was very possible that he and Oram were the only ones left alive. He had no clue about Zorah. As far as he knew, she ran off into the heart of the forest. Beyond that he couldn't say, but he wished he could.

He got up to his feet and looked around the wilderness. There was nothing yet there were so many sounds. It was making it difficult for him to hear anything from his squad or the scientists if they were nearby.

"Oram, you still alive?" he asked through his radio. He heard a nasty cough then his weak voice.

"Barely. What's going on? Did you find the shelter?"

"No, but from what I'm looking at, the shelter is long gone." He said grimly.

"What do you mean the shelter is long gone?" Oram said. It was clear he was upset about the news.

"I found a scientist dead out in the middle of nowhere." Haro said.

"That doesn't mean the shelter is gone!" Oram half-shouted. "It could just mean the scientist was picked off while looking for some damn useless flower or something."

Haro shook his head at Oram's cold exterior. "Or it could mean that he was a runner. I'll give you the fact that I don't know if the shelter is destroyed but I don't have high hopes that it isn't."

Haro got up to his feet, his shotgun pointed to the floor. "I'll let you know if I find anything. Until then do what you can to stay alive."

"I've been doing that for the past thirty minutes. You better find some help soon or I'm going to end up like that scientist."

Haro felt Oram's sense of urgency through the radio. He didn't have much time left. He put his shotgun on his lower back and broke into a full sprint in the direction of the shelter.

…

_Suit functions rebooting…50%...75%...100%_

_Kinetic barriers…82%_

_Suit filters…online. Filter integrity…100%_

_Vital signs in accordance with Neurotoxin protocols. Slowly rising. _

_User Death…Negative._

Tali felt nauseous. The whole room was blurry and spun faster than her eyes could catch up. All she could see was a massive blob of gray. Tali tried to reach her omni-tool to activate her anti-nausea medication, but her arm wouldn't budge. In fact, she couldn't budge at all.

She blinked the blurriness away and her vision focused somewhat. She looked all around found that her entire body was wrapped in a black 'web'. Terror rose within her when she realized her suit was still breached. She looked down at the deep scratch on her waist. The bleeding stopped but the breach wasn't fixed. She only had a short amount of time before an infection would kick in.

She then heard what she least wanted to hear: the ticking noise. It was coming from right in front of her. The spider shuffled out of the darkness, its eye were black again and watched her with a noticeable hunger.

It stopped in front of her and poked her in the stomach with its horn. Tali slightly jumped from its sharpness. The spider seemed surprised as well, but for a different reason. It took a few steps back and ticked again. Its entire body jumped up and down.

Something jumped out from under its body. No, more than one thing jumped out. Tali's eyes widened when she saw numerous spiders crawl out from under their mother, their ticking an intimidating and dangerous melody.

Tali struggled in the web. She pulled and twisted her bonds but they wouldn't give way. One of the baby spiders crawled on her leg eagerly and advanced up her body. It stopped at Tali's wound eagerly looking it over. Her heart beat faster as it crawled right on top of the cut. She silently prayed that it wasn't going to do what she thought it was going to do. Her worst fears were realized as the spider bit down on her tender flesh.

Her eyes shot open and she fell into a panic, but she couldn't move. Her arms were stuck behind her back. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, she saw that she was standing but her entire body up to her waist was covered in the same black web, but it stuck to the floor.

"It was a dream." She whispered to herself. "It was just a dream."

She was alone. Inside a cavern that stretched on for what seemed like miles. Strange yellow balls stuck to the ceiling, giving the cavern light. Above her was a long hole that reached the surface. The sun's light poured down into the hole, falling on her and nothing else.

There was a deathly silence. Tali felt as if she was being watched from everywhere. She could see black, ominous masses from every corner.

"Miss Zorah!"

Tali looked to her side. She was shocked to find a quarian stuck to the wall. He looked like one of the marines. He was badly injured, a deep gash across his chest and his visor covered in blood.

"It's good to see you're still alive, but I'm afraid that it won't last for long if you stay here." He mumbled. He had obviously lost a lot of blood and was growing weaker by the second.

"Listen, the shelter in under a large trunk not far from here. You need to make sure everyone is still alive and if they are, stay there until they can get the relay up in running. This planet is a hellhole; the whole expedition was a disaster!" He said hastily while looking around.

"You need to climb up that hole above you. It's not far, in the north." He gulped. "Tell them that they need to get out of here. This place…it's not ready for colonization, or maybe we're not ready for it. I don't know, but still, do whatever you can to get out now before it's too late!"

Tali saw something emerge out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head and watched as the spider came out of the darkness making a calm, tick noise. It approached her with a hunger in its eyes, its fangs reached up high, poised to strike.

"Hey, you ugly bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing?" the marine shouted at the spider. It ignored his outburst and continued to walk towards her.

"Stay away from her. Don't do something you're going to regret you bosh'tet!" the marine threatened. The spider still ignored him. He gritted his teeth as he watched it slowly move towards Tali who was still struggling in her web cage. He had to make a quick decision.

With his one free hand he yanked off his helmet and threw it at the spider. It smacked it in the head and it stumbled a few steps back. The glass shattered and fell across the floor. The spider turned to the marine in anger and ticked louder and faster. It charged towards him.

It made a powerful jump and landed on the marine. He head butted the spider and tried to bite it. The spider ticked a few more times before sinking its horn into his neck. Tali could hear a gurgling sound as blood flooded his lungs. Blood steadily poured from his mouth as his life left him.

The spider made two more ticks before it sank its teeth into him, feasting on his flesh. Blood was splattered across the wall and fell down, making a small pool beneath it. Tali looked away at the sight. It was horrible watching someone be eaten like that. As she turned her head, she noticed a large piece of the broken visor glass in front of her. She had an idea. Her legs were somewhat covered but not completely.

She reached out and kicked the shard to her side. She bent down as low as she could, her fingers searching for it. Her finger touched it and pulled it into her palm. Tali looked back at the spider. Thankfully, it was busy eating the marine.

She began cutting the web without looking away from the spider. Each cut made her more and more relieved. Salvation was only a few cuts away. Out of the corner of her eye she could see something else moving in the shadows.

Her fear grew when she watched another spider crawl out of the shadows, but it looked different than the other one. This one had a large stinger behind it.

Tali cut through the web frantically. The spider who was eating noticed what she was doing and jumped down next to the other one. Adrenaline pumped through Tali's body. She cut through her cage furiously, her eyes glued to the two spiders before her.

_I'm going to die in here._

…

Haro watched the shelter from a high tree, rubbing his chin. He had been up there for about ten minutes, but he hadn't seen anybody.

"Oram, I'm at the shelter." He said.

"And?" Oram asked bluntly.

"Something's wrong. I can feel it. I've been watching it for a while now but I haven't seen any signs of life. I tried calling them on the communicator but all I get is static." He said while he flicked a bug off his shoulder.

"Just go down there and look for yourself! Don't just hang around there!" Oram muttered. Haro inwardly groaned.

He climbed down the tree while saying, "I'm already on my way there, so calm down." His feet touched the soft grass. "Once I find out what exactly is going on, I'll let you know."

His foot hit something, but it wasn't a rock or a piece of wood. He looked down and saw a bloodied knife in the grass. He bent down and picked it up with two fingers. He looked around the forest; there was no sign of whoever left it behind.

He glanced at it curiously. It was a standard, Migrant Fleet Marines knife, but there were a few modifications to it. The handle was modified and had a much stronger alloy. The blade was as sharp as diamond and shined brilliantly in the light.

Haro looked under the handle. On it was the name 'Nolel'Xen' etched. The name didn't ring a bell whoever that person was, she wasn't in his squad.

He turned his attention to the blood on the knife. It looked similar to quarian blood but he couldn't be sure. With a quick scan with his omni-tool, he found that it wasn't quarian. It was something else. Something the omni-tool couldn't identify.

_Must've been one of those things out there._

He moved on towards the shelter when he noticed that it got eerily quiet all of the sudden. He ignored it and moved on; he pulled out his shotgun and carried it loosely in his hand.

Above him green, beady eyes watched his every move. The massive bulk jumped from tree to tree in an effortless silence. It stopped above him and watched as Haro checked a nearby discarded crate. He popped off the top and found some useless equipment the scientists needed for their studies.

He shut it again and felt something cool run down his back. He reached behind his back and felt for whatever it was.

Drawing his hand back, he noticed that it was covered in saliva. He looked up. What he saw sent fear through his heart like a knife.

_Oh shit…_


	15. Chapter 15

**So the other day I came across a group of kids that thought it would be a good idea to shoot each other with a staple gun. That's the future of America ladies and gentlemen. I just felt like sharing. :)**

**Anywho, enjoy. Pull up a chair, read to your heart's content, all of the merrily stuff that makes you want to strangle someone in glee. Remember to R&R! Every time you do, a bell will ring. You like bells, right?**

**Suffering Soldier: Ahh the face huggers. Those things used to freak me out. It's kinda of a compliment anyway, they love a person's face so much that they hug it. **

**Liege Lord: I love cliffhangers. It's good times, but this one...eh not so much.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 15: For the People<p>

"Come on, come on." Tali grunted. The bloodthirsty spiders began to tick in excitement. It lunged at her in excitement.

Tali quickly brought up the shard and dug it deep into the spider's body. It quickly retreated in pain.

"Didn't feel so good, did it?"

The spider glared at her and dug its horn into the dirt. Tali quickly tried to cut into the web, she was so close now, she was going to get out, she had to get out!

She was able to pull her leg free from the web. She pulled on her other leg with all her might; she wasn't going to give up until she was either dead or free.

Finally, the web gave way and her leg was pulled free; she fell to the ground and scrambled back up. She looked up at the large hole above her. Another spider lunged at her from behind, grabbing her legs.

"Let me go you bosh'tet!" Tali scowled. She kicked the spider in the eyes and it squealed from the pain. She pulled herself free and kicked the spider away.

With adrenaline coursing through her veins, she looked for something to help her climb into the hole. There was a rock at the far wall.

She bolted into the darkness. She could feel hairy legs trying to grab at her. She jumped as high as she could and landed on the top of the rock. She jumped up and grabbed a jutting branch.

She could hear more ticking below her. She looked over her shoulder and watched maybe hundreds of spiders crawling out from the darkness. Some went after the dead marine, but most held their legs high in the air, trying to grab her.

Tali tried to ignore their hungry cries. Her sore arms painfully pulled her out of hell.

"Almost there." She said to herself as she grabbed another branch.

Then out of nowhere she heard a vicious howl. Tali instantly looked up, below her the spiders scattered away in fear.

The trees shook side to side from a tremendous force. Tali had half a mind to go back down, but she wasn't going to die down there.

Reluctantly, she continued climbing. A spit of acid narrowly missed her by inches. She jumped up and grabbed a jutting with one hand.

Her muscles ached, barely able to pull her own weight. She looked up to see her salvation, a dangling vine.

She used up what was left of her energy and seized the vine with her hand and slowly climbed up. The spiders gave a look of disappointment and disappeared in the abyss.

Tali crawled out of the pit and collapsed on the ground, exhausted. Out of nowhere she began to laugh hysterically. She couldn't believe she was out of that mess, and how bad her luck had been for the past few months.

Her laughter quickly faded when her mind began to process what just happened. It seemed like no matter what, everything would take a turn for the worse.

That marine had willingly sacrificed his life so that she would keep hers. And all he wanted in return was that she get back to the shelter and get off of this planet.

_I can't waste time thinking about it. I have to go._

Tali got up on shaky legs. Another howl echoed through the wilderness.

_Keelah, where is that coming from?_

After the howl ended, she could hear faint gunfire. Somebody was being attacked by something, something big.

Every fiber of her being told her to not get involved. Her instincts yelled at her that it would lead to disaster.

_Survive_, they told her_, you have to survive, even if that means condemning someone to their death._

But Tali knew better. Leaving someone to die wasn't her way. It was her code to help someone in need no matter what.

Without a second thought, she darted towards the direction of the noise. She ran with renewed purpose, to save everyone she possibly could. Its what Shepard would have wanted her to do.

…

"Oram damn it, answer me!"

The radio was silent.

Haro cursed under his breath. He was hiding in what was left of the shelter.

When he looked up and saw the animal from before, he ran as fast as he could, but the beast easily tailed him.

It wasn't long before Haro reached the ruins of the shelter. Everyone was dead, the scientists, the marines, all of them. It was a massacre.

Haro tried to hide in the shelter under the tree, but the beast, enraged at its prey, kept ramming into the tree, threatening to topple it.

Haro had been stuck in there ever since, trying to call for help from anybody that was still alive. But there wasn't a response, not even from Oram.

Haro could hear the wood crack under the force of the beast. He didn't have much time left before he was chewed up and spit out.

The beast's massive hand reached out at him. Haro growled greeted it with a round from his shotgun.

"Stupid raja!" he cursed. Its hand retreated and Haro waved it off dismissively.

"Nothing but an annoyance." He grumbled. He looked back at the antennae leaning against the hard soil. It was the relay that would be used to contact the Idenna. Now it was going to be used for a much more serious purpose.

Haro set the relay on its legs and tried to make sense of the components, but he was never taught on how to use one of these.

"Just my luck. How the hell am I supposed to get this thing running?"

He began pressing random buttons in a frenzy. It wasn't smart but it was all he had at this point.

"Really wish Tali was here right now."

…

Tali watched in astonishment at the beast charging into the tree over and over. She didn't have a clue what it was doing until she saw several shotgun blasts exit the bottom of the tree.

Tali looked around for anything of use, maybe something to distract the beast. There was a rock next to her foot. She picked it up and looked back at the scene before her.

"This isn't the smartest idea." Tali said to herself.

"But apparently neither is coming to this planet."

She threw the rock as hard as she could and watched it hit the beast in the eye. It stumbled and growled, looking back at Tali.

"Come get me, you big raja." Tali said under her breath. The beast let out another howl and ran after her. Tali went through the trees to try to get around it. A massive hand came at her and Tali rolled under it.

The beast slid to a stop and ran back after her. Tali came nearer and nearer to the tree, the heavy feet and arms of the beast behind her. The rumbling ground made it difficult for Tali to keep balance.

As soon as Tali reached the shelter, she slid under it and landed right beside Haro. The beast rammed against the tree and howled with frustration.

"Tali, nice to see you again." Haro commented. He pressed a small button on the relay and sparks came flying out of the controls.

"Shit!"

"Let me work on this. You find a way to get that thing away from us." Tali said, pushing him aside. Haro backed up to a corner and fired a round every time the beast tried to grab them. Tali opened the control panel and began rewiring the central functions.

Haro activated a mine and waited for the hand to pop in. Right on cue it did, trying to claw at Tali.

"You want something to grab?"

Haro threw the mine into the beast's paw and it stuck to its palm. The beast pulled its paw out and the two heard a large explosion accompanied with a shriek of pain. Haro laughed and said, "Doesn't feel so good, does it?"

Haro armed another mine and held it ready. "You want another one?"

Tali shut the control panel and flipped a switch. The controls came to life and beeped several times. "Thank Keelah."

"Well, Miss Zorah, it seems we have our passport to safety. Call the Idenna before this hulking idiot decides to get meaner." Haro said while he loaded another clip into his shotgun. Tali nodded and tuned the frequency to the Idenna's.

"This is Tali'Zorah vas Neema to the Idenna. We need an evac ASAP! The planet is overrun with dangerous animals. The entire research team is dead. We need evacuation now!" she shouted into the microphone. The radio beeped and a man's voice came on the line.

"Tali'Zorah, this is Captain Mal. We've received your coordinates and are sending a shuttle. ETA seven minutes."

Haro took the microphone out of Tali's hand. "That's not good enough, Mal! We'll be long dead before you even get in the atmosphere! You need to get here NOW!"

"Keep your cool, soldier. We're working as fast as we can to get both of you out of there." Mal replied. Haro shook his head defiantly.

"Well your best isn't enough!" he exclaimed. "There is a large freak of nature trying to kill us right-"

Eight hairy legs bursted out from the dirt wall and wrapped around Haro. He dropped the microphone in shock.

"Son of a…" Haro cursed. Another spider bursted from the soil and screeched at the top of its lungs, charging towards, Tali. She jumped out of the way and the spider's horn dug into the large beast's hand. The horn pierced its skin and drew blood.

The beast grabbed the spider and crushed it in its hand, its blood cascading on the floor.

Haro was trapped, the spider was squeezing him against the dirt and he couldn't bring up his arms.

"Tali, the knife." He gasped. Tali looked over and saw her knife on a nearby table. She hastily grabbed it and sank the blade deep into the spider's leg.

"Come on you piece of crap, let me go!" Haro said. The spider popped out of the soil and sank its teeth into Haro's shoulder. Haro cried out painfully and fell to his knees. Tali moved behind the spider and stabbed it in its eye.

The spider threw Haro to the ground and flailed about, its never-ending screech almost deafening the two of them. Tali ripped the blade out of its eye and continually stabbed it until it stopped moving.

"Bosh'tet took a chunk out of me." Haro said through gritted teeth. His blood flowed freely from his shoulder. Tali grabbed a roll of nearby bandages and tried to cover the bite.

She turned back and sneezed loudly. The infection was starting to kick in. Haro noticed and strained to grab the mic. "Mal, where the hell is the shuttle? We're not in any condition to be fighting right now!"

"The shuttle is almost there, Haro. ETA three minutes."

"For the love of Keelah, we might as well write our wills now!" Haro shouted. He handed his shotgun to Tali.

"Haro, this is Ram'Lafa. I'm approaching your coordinates, but the LZ is too hot. You need to get rid of those baddies first."

"How are we going to do that?" Haro asked. He then heard a very loud snap and before he knew it, the tree fell over.

Tali and Haro looked up to see the beast towering over them, showing its sharp teeth.

"Well that certainly interferes with our plans." Haro said. Above the beast Haro could see the shuttle hovering over them.

"We need to run, Tali; into the desert. When I say go." Haro said. His breathing was short and ragged. Before he could say anything, a mine was thrown across the air and exploded in the beast's face.

"Eye for an eye, bitch!"

Haro and Tali looked over and saw Oram lying on the ground with another mine in his hand.

"You bastard, I thought you were dead." Haro said happily.

"Can't keep me down. Even if the bastard trampled my legs." Oram declared. He threw the mine and exploded it on the beast's neck. The beast fell to the ground, whimpering.

"Ram, we're on our way to the desert. You can pick us up there." Haro said through his radio.

"Roger that, Haro, I'll be keeping a bird's eye view on you guys." Came the reply.

Tali helped Haro get to his feet and held out his shotgun to him. He held his hand up.

"You keep it. I can't carry a sucker with that much firepower right now."

Tali nodded sympathetically and attached it to her lower back. She looked over to Oram who groaned as he tried to crawl towards them.

He looked up at both of them and dropped his head on gravel. He waved them off without a word.

"Come on, Oram, we can get out of this." Haro said urgently. Oram looked at him and shook his head.

"I'm dead weight, Haro. You just tell your kids about me, huh?" he replied. The large beast suddenly got up and howled.

"Might want to run now. This bitch wants a round two." Oram chuckled. He pulled out his pistol and fired multiple shots at it.

"Go on, guys. I got this." He said as he watched the beast run at him. Haro and Tali ran towards the jungle, behind them they could hear Oram insulting the beast and firing round after round.

…

Haro fell into a coughing fit while Tali slowly followed him sneezing constantly. As soon as their feet hit sand, Haro called the shuttle on the radio.

"Ram, we're in the desert. Get down here now. There's nothing left for us here." He said sadly. The shuttle landed a few meters ahead of them, blowing sand in every direction. The shuttle door opened and two quarians stepped out.

The two quarians stopped in front of them checked their injuries.

"You two are the only ones left?" one of them asked, a woman. They both nodded. The woman turned her head towards her companion and motioned her head towards the cabin.

He stepped back inside and grabbed two syringes and injected both of them with antibiotics.

"This planet was a waste of our time and people's lives. We need to abandon it immediately and look somewhere else." Haro concluded. Tali nodded in agreement.

"Very well, but Captain Mal is going to want to talk with both of you. But you need to relax now, it's over." The woman said softly. The two quarians escorted Haro and Tali into the shuttle and it took off back to the Idenna and out of the forsaken planet.

…

Tali was lying on the cot in the Idenna's infirmary. Watching the lights above her flicker, she sneezed and groaned. She had an agonizing headache and her throat felt like it was on fire. The doctor stood next to her and injected her with some medication.

"You took a beating down there." He commented. "I have no idea how you were able to move with an injury like this."

Tali glanced at her bandage waist. The cut was deeper than she thought and much more severe. She looked back to the doctor and nonchalantly said, "I've been through worse."

"I bet you have."

The door at the far end of the room beeped and the doctor placed all his things in a cabinet. Captain Mal stepped inside and the doctor stepped next to him, whispering something in his ear. Mal nodded and the doctor left the room.

Mal put his hands behind his back and said, "Tali, I hope you understand that it was never my intention to put you in harm's way."

"I know." She said, almost cutting him off. There was a period of silence.

"Our scientists did their best in analyzing those things down there. They called the large one a Golma and the spider ones Ratazas. Unfortunately, none of this helps us in our efforts to colonize the planets. My advisors all agree that we should abandon our hope in colonizing this planet." He said in a business-like manner.

"Okay, I'll just go and get ready for the next planet then." Tali said. Mal shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, Tali. Your father caught wind of your…experience in Conicu and requested that you be taken to the Alarei. I don't know why, but it's best not to keep your father waiting." He reported.

Tali didn't give a reaction. All she said was, "When do I go?"

"A small frigate will be dispatched to take you back to the fleet. You should arrive in a few weeks, judging from the position of the fleet." He replied. He looked back at the door and said, "In the meantime, you have a visitor."

Tali perked up slightly. The door slid open and a familiar small child walked inside with a human man.

"Gillian."

Gillian looked at her and let the smallest smile grow on her lips. She casually walked towards her and said, "Are you okay?"

Tali put her hand on Gillian's helmet. "Yes. I'm fine."

"Okay. I missed you." Gillian said in her usual flat tone. She went back to the man at the door and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards her.

"This is Hendel." She introduced. The man held out his hand and Tali shook it.

"Mitra." He added.

"I haven't seen you in a long time." Gillian said.

"Well, why don't we take the time to catch up?" Tali offered. Gillian nodded eagerly. The two spent the next hour talking, well mostly listening for Tali. Gillian did most of the talking. But she soon zoned out and Hendel took her back to their room, leaving Tali to recover.

…

Mal sat back in his chair and sighed. The entire expedition was a disaster. So many lives lost, so much equipment lost. He felt exhausted, but he still had to attend to his duties. He leaned forward in his chair and re-read the message Rael had sent him.

_Captain Ysin'Mal vas Idenna,_

_The Admiralty Board is disappointed in your initial efforts to colonize a new planet. Make sure it doesn't happen again._

_I want you to bring Tali back to the Migrant Fleet. After what happened to her she needs to be taken care of by her own father. Send her to the Alarei. I have need of her services._

_Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Rayya  
>Senior Member<br>Migrant Fleet Admiralty Board _


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry for the update delay. Life's been trolling me as of late. School work and such. Shame that there isn't any moderators. It's really gotten out of hand.**

**Liege-Lord: Yes, I guess you could say they were...sole survivors, eh? Eh?**

**Alexthehunted: Right now. :)**

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><p>Chapter 16: Team Bravo<p>

_Admiral Zorah,_

_As per your instructions, I have sent Tali'Zorah on a shuttle bound for the Alarei. Thought I felt it necessary to tell you that she has changed since her arrival to the fleet a year ago. Over the course of her stay here on the Idenna, she has become increasingly distant and has become much more anti-social, which is unusual for her._

_Though her psych evaluation still proves she is able for combat, I think that it is best if she were to rest for a while. No doubt she is still grieving for Commander Shepard, of whom she talks about whenever she decides to talk at all._

_Still, you are her father. It is your right to decide what is best for her. I am merely reporting to you on her well-being and her state of mind. _

_Keelah se'lai,  
>Captain Ysin'Mal vas Idenna<em>

Ysin sat pressed the send key on his interface and loudly sighed. He had known Rael since he became an admiral. He was always committed to the task at hand. He was dedicated, tenacious, but at a severe cost. Not only was he detached from friends but also family. When his wife died, he became more closed off and pushed everybody away, even his own daughter.

Now he wanted her to get to the Alarei but for what purpose? The Alarei wasn't a residential ship. It was strictly used for scientific and military pursuits. Despite his advice, Ysin doubted that Rael would take it.

_Always too stubborn for his own good._ He thought.

Ysin brought up a galaxy map on his terminal and pressed the location of a system not far from their location. Despite the losses they suffered during their expedition, they had to move on and pray that it doesn't happen again.

…

Tali stared blankly at the floor. Her hands clasped together, the only sound being the engines running in the small shuttle. Across from her sat a lone marine, shifting in his seat. The shuttle ride wasn't exactly the most stellar one for him. The entire time he was there she just stared at nothing. Saying that the ride was awkward was an understatement.

Tali propped up her arm and rested her head on it. Today was her lifeday. Birthday as Shepard had called it. And yet she found no reason to be happy or excited. She didn't expect her father to say something about it. Part of her doubted he even knew it _was _her birthday.

"Approaching the Alarei." The pilot said over the intercom. Tali and the marine stood up from their seats and faced the door. The shuttle slightly shook as the docking clamps grabbed the ship and pulled it in the airlock.

The shuttle door creaked open, revealing the interior of the Alarei. A woman in a brown and black suit was standing there waiting for them.

"Illis." The marine said while stepping out of the shuttle. The woman politely bowed.

"It's good to see you again, Lyrus. How's the family?" she asked. Lyrus shrugged.

"They're fine. Baby Raema finally got better from her cold, thank Keelah." He said with relief. Illis nodded and crossed her arms.

"You shouldn't worry about the little ones, Lyrus. They all catch an infection sooner or later. It's natural." She assured. Lyrus looked over to Tali then back to her.

"Anyways, we'll catch up later. Tali'Zorah needs to see her father. Important business and all that. Could you show her the way?" he asked. Illis nodded and walked over to Tali.

"It's an honor to have a Zorah in the Alarei, but it is a privilege to have two." She said kindly. Tali watched her and stepped out of the shuttle.

"Can you please take me to my father?" Tali asked flatly. Illis, slightly taken aback by her forwardness, nodded. Tali walked past her while Illis looked back at Lyrus.

"What happened to her? She asked. "She isn't as cheery as they say."

Lyrus shrugged and stepped back on the shuttle. "I don't know the details. All I know is that she got hit pretty hard about something on her pilgrimage. Poor thing probably still hasn't recovered from it."

Before Illis could get another word in the shuttle doors closed. She deeply sighed and quickly followed Tali. She caught up with her just in time for a set of double doors to open. Inside were numerous scientists at work. So were at their terminal, reviewing data and looking over spreadsheets.

Others were at their lab tables taking apart and reassembling technology. Some tables had robot arms that hung from the ceiling. One of the scientists grabbed one and welded two chips together.

"What are they doing?" Tali asked. Illis looked over the room with pride.

"Your fathers work. We're all here for the same purpose. The best scientists the Migrant Fleet has to offer are all here, working towards their common goal." She said.

"What goal?"

Illis opened a door and held out her hand. "I think it would be best if your father told you himself. He is truly a man of vision."

Tali entered the room where more scientists worked feverishly. A few were looking through microscopes and modifying all sorts of technology.

"Everyone here, lives, thinks, and sleeps science. Engineers, researchers, mathematicians, you name it, we have it here." She continued. She eagerly led Tali up a flight of stairs and opened a door. Inside was a desk with a terminal and a few crates stacked against the wall.

"Your father is right through there." Illis said, pointing at a door next to the desk. She sat down in it and opened her terminal.

"You best not keep him waiting. Your father is juggling so many things at once; I'm surprised breathing is still on his priorities." She laughed. Tali nodded slowly and entered the room. Inside was Rael overlooking the floor below him, his hands behind his back.

He turned his head towards her as she approached him. "Tali."

"Father." Tali replied. Rael closed the distance between them and handed her a small box. Tali was stunned to see that her father had actually bothered to give her something. She took it in her hands and opened it. Inside was a pistol.

"Look at it." Her father told her while he sat back down in his desk. Tali somewhat reluctantly picked it up and did so. There was nothing remarkable about it. She wondered why her father asked. She was about to ask him what the big deal about it was until something caught her eye. The chamber looked different, like it was meant to be pulled back.

Tali reached up and pulled, the chamber opened, revealing a small rod inside. Curious, she pulled it out and looked it over. She had never seen something like this before.

"It's new. Uses a thermal clip to absorb heat made by the mass accelerator. Weapons before would malfunction inevitably because of the heat, this makes sure that it doesn't happen." Rael explained without taking his eyes off his monitor. Tali glared at him. Is this why he called her here? To show her his new toy?

"You made this?" she asked. Rael shook his head.

"Council space did. They adapted geth technology for use in their weapons and achieve marvelous results." Rael said. "That is why we are all here."

Tali looked at him, slightly confused. Rael seemed to pick up on this because he said, "Their adaptation is proof that geth technology can be used in ours, and eventually against them. The discovery finally gave me the resources and backing to create what I've been working on for years."

"You want me to help you." Tali guessed.

"Go to level 4. There is a team waiting to be transported to a geth controlled world. You've dealt with them before on your pilgrimage. Put that knowledge to good use." He ordered. Tali frowned. Was that all he wanted, to give her more orders even though she was still recovering from her illness?

Reluctantly she left his room without a word. Illis silently watched her pass through and walk away. Once the door closed behind her, Illis reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a necklace with a blue stone attached to it.

She held it up to her terminal and it scanned the small rock. 'Processing' was displayed on the monitor for a few seconds before it read 'Done'.

"Illis?" a voice said.

"I'm here, administrator." She replied.

"What's the status on Rael's experiment?" the voice asked quietly. Illis looked around her room to be safe.

"The geth materials he acquired are worrying me. He was able to break through several geth networks today. At this rate, he'll be done within a few months." She reported.

"Damn it." The voice whispered. "Rael has no idea what he's doing. He could cause another uprising right on the flotilla."

"I've tried to sabotage the research in any way I can, but he keeps recovering and pushing forward; faster than I could damage any data." Illis said.

"The bosh'tet is tenacious, I'll give him that much. But the experiment is downright stupid. If he keeps recovering from your sabotage attempts, you're going to have to do something far more drastic." The voice said.

"I'm ready for any task set before me, administrator." Illis said confidently.

"Simply sabotaging data and corrupting memory isn't going to do. You need to attack the core of his work, the geth themselves. Illis, you have my authority to deal with this in any manner you see fit. Do whatever is necessary to make Rael realize that this experiment will become nothing but a disaster." The voice ordered.

"Very well, administrator." Illis complied. She was just about to reach the disconnect button before she remembered something. "There something else you should know. Rael enlisted his daughter to help him find more geth materials."

There was a long pause. Illis waited uncomfortably while the administrator tried to muster up with a response. She couldn't see him, but she knew that he was surprised by the news.

"Tali's working for her father. Surprising, to say the least. Is she going to stay on the Alarei?" he finally asked.

"From what I was able to pick up, no. She's going to supply her father with the materials for the experiment. I think he's taking her to geth controlled territory." Illis speculated.

"Managing an experiment just waiting to explode and sending his own daughter to certain death, Rael isn't the man I thought he was." the administrator said mournfully. "Do you know who she's going with?"

Illis brought up a few files on her terminal and looked over the reassignment order that arrived in the morning.

"She's been assigned to Bravo Team. Squad leader is Kal'Reeger." Illis said. She thought she heard what sounded like a sigh of relief.

"Alright, that's good. Kal'Reeger's squad is the best the marines have to offer. I know they'll keep her safe." the administrator said.

"Should we interfere to make sure she survives?" Illis asked.

"No." the administrator said sternly. "Under no circumstances should we make our presence known. Having you sabotage Rael's experiment is risky enough. We can't afford to be discovered."

"Very well." Illis resigned.

"You have your orders, Illis. Sabotage Rael's experiment in any way possible. Use drastic measures if need be. Keelah se'lai." The administrator said.

"Keelah se'lai." Illis replied.

…

Tali was leaning against the wall of a slow moving elevator. It reminded her of how slow the Normandy's elevator was. Above her was a screen that displayed what level she was on. She was getting close to level four and could only imagine what kind of team she'd have to be a part of while they were hunting for geth components.

The elevator creaked to a stop and the doors slid open. Tali stepped out into a rectangular room that had bunk beds at each side. In front of her was the squad all talking to each other and sitting on crates, except for the only female of the group, who was sitting on someone's lap.

A male quarian in a red suit noticed her and stood up from his crate.

"Tali'Zorah, Kal'Reeger." He said with a bow. "I'm honored to have you as a part of the squad."

"It's an honor to be here." Tali said hesitantly. Kal turned and pointed to each of the squad.

"That's Gar'Ummer, Ket'Qara, and Lota'Isla." He said as he pointed to each respective member. Ket gently encouraged Lota off his lap and held his hand out.

"Heya Tali. Pleasure to have you on the number one squad around." He said with a grin.

"Besides the Nanz-Qe." Gar muttered.

"Geez Gar, you've been such a downer lately, y'know that?" Ket asked rhetorically. Gar shrugged indifferently.

"Don't mind him. He couldn't even smile if we were on the homeworld anyway." Ket said, scratching his arm.

"Is this the whole team?" Tali questioned. She was mildly surprised about the small size of the team.

"Yes, unfortunately." Lota said sadly. Ket wrapped his arm around her shoulders and slowly nodded.

"There were three more of us. All of them bit the dust." He said while looking at the wall.

"We were like family. We couldn't do anything to save them. At least, I think we couldn't." Lota added.

"You have a point, drema. As far as we know, we could have saved two, the last…we never had a chance." Ket mused. Tali looked around the group, they were all reflecting on the deaths of their comrades.

"Who couldn't be saved?" Tali asked softly. Ket looked up to the ceiling as if he were looking at the heavens.

"Klenon." Ket answered. "My best bud got assigned to some mission for the admiralty way back when. Never came back. We didn't even know that he went on a mission until the board told us a few months ago."

"Klenon…I knew him." Tali said. Ket looked at her with surprise.

"You did? Well, bosh'tet tried his best to help everyone. Except the ones who got on his bad side. They didn't last for long."

"I met him before I left on my pilgrimage; I assume that was when he left. I saw him a few more times then…he disappeared." Tali replied.

"He was a credit to the team." Gar suddenly said. "Only one better than him was Nolel. Damn good marines, both of them"

"Well we shouldn't really judge the dead's performance. They both brought the squad above and beyond. Only ones more renowned than us are the Nanz-Qe." Kal said. Ket gave an indignant scoff.

"Nanz-Qe can go to hell. Those bosh'tets killed Nolel, and then had the nerve to try to recruit Klenon." Ket muttered.

"If Klenon was meant to die," Gar said. "At least he died as a member of the Bravo squad."

"That's enough reminiscing for now, guys. We have a job to do, let's get to it." Kal said, bringing an end to the conversation. He opened his omni-tool and a hologram of a planet appeared. "Now, Admiral Zorah wants us to go to the planet Arcala. One of the last settlements we started before the morning war. Geth presence is as minimal as it could get. We do this quick and by the book, no heroics."

Gar, Ket, Lota, and Tali all gathered around the hologram as Kal pressed more buttons on his omni-tool.

"The city we're heading to is Actae'Reos. According to the initial scans, a thunderstorm is coming in about a day, that'll make it difficult for the geth to detect us. This should be a cake job, as long as there are no complications." Kal continued.

"There's always a complication." Gar interrupted. Ket casually cracked his knuckles and smirked.

"Which is why they always send us. We're the all-around problem solvers."

"Rules of engagement?" Lota asked. Kal turned off his omni-tool.

"We go in quiet, we go out quiet. No need to draw attention to ourselves. Nobody fires unless we're fired upon." He said. Ket looked over at Lota and motioned his head towards the trunks in front of the beds. They both opened their boxes and pulled out their equipment.

Ket pushed aside a few boxes of thermal clips and pulled out his prized possession, an M-9 Tempest Sub-Machine Gun. A gift from his father, who was a weapon specialist on the ship Ket trained in. Lota pulled out a machine pistol from her trunk, finally happy that she could use something other than a pistol.

"Gar, you're on jammer duty." Kal said to him as he went to his own trunk and pulled out an assault rifle and a shotgun.

"I hate lugging that thing around." Gar muttered while walking to his equipment crate. There was a keypad on top of the trunk and Gar's fingered hovered over the numbers.

"Ah crap, what was the passcode?" he whispered to himself. He tapped his finger on the '1' key several times, trying to remember.

"2 after 5 is the number you see and after that is the number 3." Gar quietly sung to himself, pressing the keys as he went through the self-taught song. "If you get that then you are great then move your hand over number 8. Your stuff is hiding in its den. To get it out, press number ten."

The trunk hissed and the lid snapped open. Gar pushed the lid off and took out a large backpack with various knobs and buttons on it.

"Could someone else at least carry this thing for a while? I'm going to get back problems before I'm thirty." He complained.

Ket gave him a bemused look while pulling out an assault rifle. "Nice try, Gar. You've carried that for five years. Two weeks isn't going to kill you."

"Two weeks?" Gar exclaimed. His shock almost made him drop the jammer. "You've got to be kidding."

"Relax, Gar. We're not staying for two weeks. We only need to get to a geth hub and get back out. This can all be done in a few hours." Kal guaranteed. He grabbed a shotgun and handed it to Tali. She carefully took it and tested its weight. The shotgun felt lighter, no doubt because of the thermal clips that now resided inside it. Tali attached it to her lower back and patiently waited for the rest of the group.

"Once you guys are ready, meet me in dock 4. The shuttle will be waiting for us." Kal said. The squad just nodded and continued going through their things.

"Ma'am, if you're ready, you can come with me." Kal offered. Tali gave a curt nod and followed him out of the room. Ket quietly laughed to himself.

"What's so funny?" Lota asked sweetly. Ket grinned and pulled out a bottle of champagne from his trunk.

"I was saving it for a special occasion. Why don't we open this sucker after the mission and spend some alone time in the clean rooms?" he grinned. Lota scooted closer to him and wrapped her arm around his neck.

"What's the occasion?" she asked.

"I'll finally be able to see what you look like under the suit."

Lota swiped the bottle from his hands and dropped it in her own trunk. "Not until you prove you care."

"But I do." Ket argued playfully. He moved next to her and put an arm around her waist.

"We'll find out…" Lota said, closing her trunk and walking out of the room, leaving Ket confused and Gar utterly amused.

"Your girlfriend seems pretty high maintenance, Ket. Think you might be doing something wrong?" he teased. Ket frowned and closed his trunk.

"Me? Doing something wrong? That's coming from the guy who hasn't even asked a girl out in his life." Ket replied triumphantly. Gar shrugged off the comment and gathered the rest of his things.

"That's a lie. What about that girl thirteen years ago?" he said. Ket just smiled.

"Half a day doesn't count." Ket countered. He exited the room without another word.

"It was a week." Gar corrected.

…

"Olia, follow these coordinates to the letter. We don't want to end up in the middle of a hot zone." Kal commanded while handing their pilot an OSD. The pilot took it and inserted it into the nav computer.

"Actae'Reos, eh? Heard of that place, beautiful beaches, luscious scenery, and a five-star hotel…is this a real mission, Kal? Or are you just trying to get me on a date?" she asked flirtatiously.

"Trust me Olia, I'd do something more subtle than this." Kal said dismissively. He walked back into the main cabin and sat down with the rest of the squad. Olia just shrugged and activated the shuttle engines.

"Well, you just lost your chance for free peanuts." She muttered. She picked up the shuttle intercom and casually said, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for riding Alarei Air, we're going to need you to stay in your seats, fasten your seatbelts, and turn off all electronics. We'll be arriving to Actae'Reos in about twelve hours so enjoy your flight."

Olia was just about the set the radio down until she said, "Oh and if you get sick during the flight, there's nothing we can do about it. So please refrain from puking your guts out on the floor, your friends are fine though."

"She certainly has a sense of humor." Ket commented while buckling his seatbelt.

"At least we're flying first class." Kal added. Tali was sitting next to him on a hard chair, even though it was uncomfortable, it was still a luxury to be sitting down at all.

"So what's the plan, boss?" Gar asked. Kal opened his omni-tool and a hologram of the city appeared.

"The city itself stretches on for miles. We're here for one thing, the geth hub that houses their neural network, here." Kal said, pointing at a skyscraper near the center of the city. "Admiral Zorah needs their encryption key so that he can unlock the geth's network quicker. Once we have that key, we'll be extracted at the top of the Serenity Tower."

Everyone looked at the enormous spire in the center of the city. It was a marvel of quarian architecture, a true icon to quarian culture. It was surprising to see the tower still standing after three hundred years.

"That's nice and everything boss, but how are we going to get there? I doubt the geth are going to give us the red carpet treatment." Ket said. Kal pressed a few buttons on his omni-tool and a sewer system appeared below the city.

"No no no no no no." Ket said with a look of disgust. "There's no way I'm going into a three hundred year old maze of crap."

"Too bad, because you're going in first to clear any debris." Kal informed him with a small grin of amusement. Ket opened his mouth to argue, but he reluctantly shut it.

"Just when things can't get any worse." He muttered.

"Now, once we have the encryption key, we'll sneak in the sewers come back up, fight our way up Serenity Tower and evac at the top. Any questions?" Kal finished, looking around the cabin. There were none and he sat back in his chair.

"Might as well get comfortable guys. We've got a hell of a mission coming up."


	17. Chapter 17

**December 10th...fifteen days until Christmas, but it's also something else. I want to thank each and every one of you that have read my fics. Today is the first anniversary since I started writing on this site. Sincerest thanks to everyone who has supported me after all this time. You guys are the reason that I keep writing. So a toast to the first year, and may the next 3 or 4 (considering how long the series is) be just as great.**

**Liege-Lord: Yes, Klenon is our dear old administrator. He should wear a badge and an awsome hat to go with the role.**

**Mapped: Yeah, they're being stupid. But it's okay, they didn't need injections or anything. Though they probably should, and in the butt too. How's that for a lesson?**

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><p>Chapter 17: What Was Lost<p>

Olia woke up from her deep sleep with a yawn. She looked at the clock with groggy eyes and saw that she had slept for six hours. She then looked out the viewport. Actae'Reos was nowhere in sight.

"Keelah, I'm still exhausted." She quietly complained to herself. Being careful not to wake the others, she undid her seatbelt and opened the door to the cabin. The whole cabin was dimmed so that it would be easier to sleep. Olia had to squint to make sure she didn't bump into anyone. Everyone was still asleep, slouched awkwardly in their chairs. Well, almost everyone.

In the dark, Olia could just barely make out someone who was wringing their hands. They were sitting at the very end of the rows. Olia approached the person who quickly noticed her. "Why are you up? If you're in this team, you need as much sleep as you can get."

"I can't get any sleep." Came the reply. It was a woman, but it wasn't Lota. Olia recognized her voice. That meant it had to be the new one, Tali.

"Why not?" she asked. She settled herself in a chair across from her, though the only thing she could see was the light coming from her mouthpiece. Tali leaned back in her chair and sighed.

"There are too many reasons. I have a lot on my mind." Tali said.

"Like?"

Tali didn't know if she should even talk about it. It would probably seem pathetic, mourning the loss of someone that died months ago. How would she even react to it? Tali didn't know her, didn't know what she was like. Why would she even try to explain it to her? Explain that she began developing the heart meld for a human? Would she be disgusted? Repulsed?

Still, it couldn't have been healthy keeping it in this long. On the rare occasions people would ask about her time on the Normandy, she'd just lie about it to save herself the pain of bringing the memories back up. She couldn't keep running though. Eventually she had to face it and now was a better time than ever.

"I keep thinking about him, about Shepard." She finally said. Olia raised a brow at the name. She heard it countless times before. The Hero of Eden Prime, Savior of the Citadel. He killed a spectre, or so they say. She was never able to get the whole truth.

"Shepard? The name rings a bell. Heard he massacred more geth than we could ever dream, and all before breakfast too." She remarked. Her joke didn't seem to affect Tali much. She just nodded.

"That's right. A day didn't go by where we didn't shoot geth. I was so proud to be on his team, to be part of his crew and work on the most advanced ship in the galaxy." Tali said. Reminiscing about the old days didn't bring pain like she expected. She felt relieved, proud even. The old feelings she had were slowly surfacing again.

"So that's why you've…been like this? Because he died? No offense or anything but I don't think that it could affect you so deeply…unless there's more to it." Olia speculated. This was it. Now was the time for Tali to make a choice. Tell her or don't. Put her demons to rest and try to get through it or let them live a little longer to save herself.

_You can do this, girl. You're stronger than this, prove it!_

Slowly but surely the words came out. "There is. I…I-I…I cared about him. More than just a friend, I mean. I don't know how it happened, it just did. But I do know that I haven't been able to let him go." Tali uttered. Tears were forming around her eyes and her sadness overtook her like a wave. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "He meant so much to me. I wanted to tell him how I felt but it hurt too much. I was afraid he would reject me and never speak to me again."

Olia just sat there, listening to every word. Odds were that she never told anybody this. She had to be respectful and give her any advice. That is, if she wanted it. When it seemed like Tali finished, she was quietly sniffling trying to hold back her tears.

"Listen Tali, you were developing a heart meld with him. It's natural, but I know that it isn't the problem. You may have lost him, but his spirit lives on in you. Love hurts, Tali, one way or another. But you can get past this. You're tenacious, just like your father. You'll pull through and when your heart heals, you'll look back and see that you've had some great times with him. You'll remember the memories with him not the memories of him.

Tali contemplated her words. There was a truth in them and it made her feel better. The pain wasn't completely gone but it was enough to get her through this mission. Afterwards she'd tried to be more open. Try to get rid of her sadness once and for all. Olia gave her hope. That was all that she needed for now.

"Thank you." She said, barely above a whisper. Olia just nodded and got up from her seat.

"Like I said, you need the rest. Good luck with that, by the way." She said as she walked back into the pilot's cabin.

"With my problems?" Tali asked. Olia laughed and said, "I meant with Ket's snoring but yeah, that too."

Tali looked over and sure enough Ket was snoring very loudly. Tali giggled and nodded at Olia. She shut the door behind her and Tali was left alone.

But for the first time in months, she didn't feel alone.

…

"Actae'Reos…not what I expected it to look like." Olia remarked as she and Kal looked outside the view screen. The shuttle was just coming out of the clouds and viewing the massive city. The buildings had vines growing at their sides. Some were overtaken by them completely. Kal, trying his best to stay awake, pointed at the tall spire in the middle of the city.

"There's Serenity Tower. As soon as we get what we need head there and wait for us. An hour, two hour max." he ordered.

"Don't need to tell me twice." Olia said, pointing at the anti-air towers that were still very much operational. "Those things could tear a nasty hole in the ship."

"If everything goes smoothly you won't have to worry about those towers. Drop us in the outskirts of the city, keep flying, and stay out of sight." He said. Olia flipped a few switches and nodded.

"Ready when you are."

"Ready up, soldiers, we're dropping in less than a minute." Kal said as he entered the cabin. Everyone got up and began getting ready. The shuttle flew low to the ground and came to a sudden stop. The doors slid open and everyone spilled out.

"I'll be waiting for you guys as planned. Don't get killed out there. Keelah se'lai." Olia said through the radio. The shuttle doors closed and lifted off into the clouds. Thunder cracked loudly in the sky.

"Good thing Klenon isn't here with us. He'd be freaking out right now." Ket mumbled. Kal took out his rifle and surveyed their surroundings. Most of the buildings were low, only about one or two stories. The doors and windows were boarded up and the streets were cracked.

"Let's get moving. Ket, Gar, take point."

They both nodded and moved to the front of the group, rifles in hand. The group moved down the street, watching every direction and keeping their guns leveled. Tali was right behind Kal, holding her shotgun close. The city gave her an eerie feelings, she didn't feel welcome here. She could imagine that the others felt the same.

"Anyone else get the feeling we're being watched?" Ket asked. Kal stiffed at the idea.

"Always." Gar replied. "Keep your guard up, Ket. It's that exactly why you always get into trouble."

Ket huffed at Gar and shook his head. He and Gar always had a love-hate relationship. He always thought he was too serious, too pessimistic. Gar on the other hand, thought Ket was too loose. That kind of attitude would get the self-proclaimed "Jack of All 'Nades" killed.

"I don't get into trouble, Gar." Ket snapped. "Trouble just gets in my way."

"Knock it off, both of you. We need to stay alert so cut the chatter." Kal said sternly. The two gave up on their debate and kept watching the street ahead of them. Throughout their conversation, Tali had been feeling uneasy. It was the same feeling she felt when she was in the alley with Saren's assassins. She had learned since then to trust her gut.

"There is something watching us." She said. Kal turned to her. "I don't know where it is, but it's out there somewhere."

"I really don't like this place. This is way out of my comfort zone." Lota muttered. Ket stopped next to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"No worries, drema. We've been through a lot worse and these geth can't even shoot the broad side of a dreadnought." He affirmed. Lightning pierced through the gray clouds and the loud rumbling of thunder accompanied it seconds later.

Tali held out her hand and felt the cold rain drops hit the palm of her hand. It felt…nice, refreshing almost. She hoped one day to feel the water without her suit.

_One day…_ she thought to herself.

"It's starting to rain, Kal. Think we should get somewhere dry?" Ket asked. Kal looked around the long abandoned streets and opened a nearby door. The whole team piled inside and shut the door behind them. Gar opened up his omni-tool and looked over the hologram of the entire city.

"Alright listen up." Kal said as he approached the hologram. "The inner city is completely walled off and the only way in is through these locations." Red dots appeared on the hologram.

"Problem is that the geth most likely have units guarding them and we have to get as far as we can without drawing attention to ourselves. That's where the sewers come in. It'll be a straight shot into the inner city and right on top of a geth hub. All we need to do is find a manhole."

"Can't be that hard. I mean it's a city, how hard is it to find a manhole?" Ket asked rhetorically. Gar peeked outside a shattered window. The rain was coming in at full force as the whole city grew darker.

"The sewers are going to be flooded with the rainwater, Kal. I don't think it's a smart idea to go in there." He said as he turned back to them. "Unless you know, we swim."

"Yeah, let's not." Ket said. He turned to Kal with an encouraging look. "We can take 'em, Kal. We still have the element of surprise. Poor stutters won't see it coming."

Kal looked at them. As much as he hated to admit it, staying up here and facing the geth would be better than drowning in a long forgotten sewer. He sighed and said, "Alright, but everyone keep close."

"Wait," Gar said without taking his eyes off the street. "I see something. Looks like a geth, big one."

The whole team grabbed their weapons and stacked up against the window. Kal peered out and nervously scanned the street.

"Where is it?" he asked.

"Up on the roof, second building right of the kiosk." He replied. Kal looked up and saw a tall, imposing geth standing there with two tanks on its back.

"What in Keelah's name is that? Ket, Lota, go outside and sneak around that thing. Tell me what it is." He ordered. Ket pulled out his sniper and left through the back door, Lota closely followed him.

"Gar, anything you can tell me about it from here?"

Gar squinted his eyes and said, "Looks like a prime, but it's too small. I'm more worried about those tanks on its back. If they are what I think they are, they're going to cause a lot of problems."

"What is it, exactly?" Tali asked.

"Flamethrower."

"Kal, I got a good look from here. It's definitely something I haven't seen before. Those tanks have a flame symbol on the back of it." Ket reported.

"Just like I thought." Gar muttered. Kal carefully weighed his options. They could try to sneak past it but that geth was sitting on the top of a building; it'd see them for sure.

"Ket, where are you?" he asked.

"Top of the building next to yours. Why?"

"We're going to try and sneak around. Get back here." Kal ordered.

"Got it."

A loud stuttering sound boomed throughout the street, followed by a bang.

"Shit, the thing just noticed us. We're heading back to you!" Ket shouted, but his voice drowned out by a loud booming sound from the sky.

"Incoming dropship! There's geth all over the place!" Ket shouted. Just then he burst through the door with Lota following close. Tali peered out the window to see geth crawling all over the place.

"Boss, we need to split right now! It's only a matter of time before they notice us hiding in here." Ket said urgently. Kal pushed past him and poked his head out the backdoor. There were no geth yet and he ran out, signaling the group to follow.

Everyone ran after him, keeping their head lows so as not to be detected by the numerous geth.

"Olia, we've been spotted. There are geth all over the place. What can you see from up there?" Kal whispered harshly.

"Kal, you kicked the hornet's nest. There's four dropships dropping geth troops. You need to get out of there now!" she said. Kal and the squad reached a large clearing with three geth. But the combined firepower of their weapons easily killed them.

"Kal'Reegar, there's a car over there." Tali said, pointing at an old car in the corner. "If I can get it up and running we can take it right over the wall."

"Nice catch, ma'am. Get to work, we'll cover you." He replied. Tali darted to the car and opened the door. Everyone else stood in front of it, guns drawn and scanning the area.

Tali pulled off the dashboard and began rewiring the ignition. Meanwhile, Kal caught something on the rooftops. He fired three rounds and hit his mark. The geth stuttered loudly and dropped down, pulling out a hose-like gun. Fire spewed out if it like a hose.

"It's that flamethrower guy again." Ket shouted as he jumped away from the flames. Gar aimed at the geth with his shotgun and fired a slug into its chest. The blow left a wide hole and pushed the geth back. It shook it off and fired another jet of fire at the car. Tali hid behind the seat just as the fire hit the car. She could feel the intense heat through her suit.

Kal moved behind it and fired at the tanks strapped to its back. Fire shot out from the tanks. The geth immediately noticed and tried frantically to pull it off. But the canisters erupted in a mass of fire, engulfing the geth in its own weapon.

The boom of the explosions echoed throughout the city. Before any of them knew it, geth began to pour out from the streets. Kal kept his cool and methodically killed every unfortunate geth that crossed his sights, but more and more came.

"Ma'am, do you have that thing working yet?" Kal asked as he mowed down another geth. Tali began chewing on her tongue as she tried to get the car working. A bullet bounced off the dashboard, nearly hitting her in the face.

"Almost got it." She said. The wires in her hands began sparking as the car slowly came back to life. She could hear a loud bang that came from a grenade explosion. Ket ejected a thermal and frantically searched his pockets.

"Pass me a clip!" he shouted to no particular person. Gar pulled one from his pocket and tossed it to him. Ket quickly reloaded in time to blow the head off an advancing geth.

Tali jammed a wire into a small hole and the car awoke with a whirring sound. Everyone heard it and piled into the small space while still shooting at their relentless attackers. Kal pushed his way to the driver seat and lifted the car into the air and sped off with bullets ricocheting off the hull.

"Alright, we should be able to get to the geth hub in no time. Everyone take a break while you can, there's bound to be more stutters where that came from." He said. Tali leaned back in her chair to try and catch her breath. It had been so long since she had fought the geth, since she felt the need to destroy every single last one of them.

"Boss, the geth hub, it's in one of these skyscrapers, right?" Ket asked while pointing to a random one.

"Right, according to the information Admiral Zorah gave me, it should be in the building that used to house the _Hakora'Pal_, it was a popular nightclub in its day." Kal explained.

"Why would the geth put a hub in a nightclub? Do they party like organics? Guess we aren't so different after all." Ket joked. Gar, who hadn't said anything for the ride, suddenly cursed. Kal looked out the window and saw something that made his heart sink, geth armatures. And they were all aiming at them.

The armatures noticed him as soon as he did. They perked up and fired, Kal took a sharp turn, throwing everyone to the side of the car. Tali instinctively grabbed Kal's arm and held on tightly. But even though Kal tried to dodge the incoming fire, the car rocked harshly as it was hit by the armature's blast. The lights on the dashboard flickered and died and the car sharply began to descend.

Kal pulled up on the car's controls, but it continued to fall to the ground.

"Everybody hang on!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Tali held on to him as hard as she could and felt a force push her towards the dashboard as the car hit the top of the city's wall. The car hit the muddy ground and rocketed towards a building. Tali closed her eyes just before they hit the wall.

She could feel something slam against her chest and knock the wind out of her; and all she could hear was the ear-blistering sound of rock breaking glass.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello Peeps and Peepettes of the internet! Today is a great day ain't it? Let's make it better shall we? Get a sundae, then sit down and enjoy this. There's no way you won't feel enjoyment. It's been proven by science! You wouldn't want to talk back to science would you? It knows everything about you. It's like that best friend you tell everything to, but then you start hating each other and everyone finds out about that Friday night. Yeah, that one. So enjoy!**

**Liege-Lord: Would have been awsome if was Legion right? Tali going toe to steel toe with the geth that everybody loves. Except quarians. I hear they hate his kind.**

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><p>Chapter 18: Horde<p>

Tali woke up hunched over the dashboard. Her head was spinning as she tried to figure out what happened before she woke up like this. A groan next to her turned her attention to Kal'Reegar, who was shifting painfully in his seat, holding his hands to his stomach.

Tali put a hand on his shoulder, being careful not to hurt him. "Are you alright?" she asked him softly. Kal turned his head towards her and nodded.

"Just a scratch ma'am." He said in an attempt to downplay his injury, but they both knew that it was worse than what he was making it out to be. "You guys okay back there?"

Ket stretched his neck and groaned. Other than a sore neck and wrist he was fine. Gar had a small crack on the side of his visor, but thankfully it wasn't serious. Lota was the only one unharmed by the crash; she was too busy tending to Ket to reply though.

"We're fine boss. Can't say that was the most fun ride I've ever had." Ket said as he grabbed his rifle and opened the car door. Lota got out after him and pulled her sub-machine gun off of her belt. Tali took a moment to catch her breath. The car was totaled. The front was completely smashed in and the windshield was all but shattered. Tali didn't know what building they crashed into, but judging from the numerous desks and a holo-board at the far end of the room, she'd say that they crashed into a school.

"Everyone get up on your feet. We don't have time to waste." Kal urged. He got up from his seat and grunted, holding his stomach. Tali rushed to his side to make sure he wasn't seriously injured. There wasn't much to see unfortunately. His suit was ripped or punctured so they couldn't tell if it was serious.

"Don't worry about me, ma'am. It'll heal. Right now we have to focus on getting to the geth hub." He said nonchalantly. Tali reluctantly nodded. She wanted to help him but she realized that there wasn't much she could do anyways.

Kal activated the medi-gel function on his suit and slightly shook as the cold gel touched his injury. He didn't have enough to heal himself completely but it was enough to keep him going for a little while longer.

"Gar, come here. That jammer should buy us a few more minutes until the geth find us." Kal ordered. Gar walked in front of him and turned around. The jammer was miraculously unharmed during the crash. Kal turned a few knobs and flipped a small switch in the center of the jammer. A light turned green above it and a low hum emanated from the jammer.

"That should keep them off our backs for a while." Kal said. Gar grunted while getting up. It was obvious that carrying the jammer was a burden on him.

"Too bad that's not coming off of his back." Ket commented. Gar glared at him and muttered under his breath.

Ket put on a mask of hurt, holding a hand over his heart. "Aww Gar you know I'd never make fun of you. If you weren't my friend…I don't think I could bear it."

Gar huffed under the weight of the jammer but otherwise didn't offer a response. Lota punched him in the arm. "Leave him alone, Ket. We still have things to do. Play with each other once we get back to the ship."

"I'd rather play with you, babe." Ket said with a sly grin. Tali couldn't help but giggle at his reply.

"Alright, knock it off, guys. We still have a mission to do." Kal said as he poked his head out the door. The hall was littered with trash, dead geth, and knocked over lockers, but was otherwise clear of live geth. Kal stepped out with his rifle leveled and Tali followed suit. The rest of the squad followed with their weapons raised, checking every angle for any hostiles.

"Olia, we had an unscheduled stop. We're inside some school. Can you tell us where the main objective is?" Kal said into his radio. Olia's voice came in, almost drowned out by the heavy amount of static.

"You're inside the inner walls at least. The school is at the very edge and your objective is almost at the center of the city. From what I can see, you're going to have a hell of a fight there. I'm counting at least three dozen geth heading your way." Olia replied.

"How much time do we have until we make contact?" Kal asked.

"Ten minutes at most. You better bunker down before they reach you. "Olia advised. Tali turned to Kal with an idea.

"If we can't get them into a choke point, we can plant some explosives to make quick work of them." She suggested. Kal considered her idea and nodded.

"Ket, get your mines out. We're going to need all of them." He requested. Ket nodded and began pulling out all of the mines in his pockets.

"Olia, keep circling the city. Be our eyes in the sky until we're clear."

"Wilco."

"Ket, spread those mines all over the place. The more we kill off before they get here the better." Kal ordered. Ket nodded and ran off into the depths of the school.

"Gar, we're going to need you to stay under cover. That jammer's going to keep them from communicating. We're going to need that thing to stay operational." Kal said. Gar nodded and went back into the classroom. Tali looked around for anything to use as cover when she noticed the strange half-spheres attached to the walls.

Curious, she approached the nearest one and scanned it with her omni-tool. She was detecting a mass accelerator with several blocks of ammunition. Then the truth dawned on her. They were turrets.

"Keelah, there's turrets all over the school." She said in amazement. Kal walked next to her, astonished.

"Why would a school have turrets?" he asked. Tali shrugged.

"This school must have been built during the Morning War. These turrets must have been used as a precaution against a geth attack." She speculated. Kal rubbed the chin of his helmet and nodded in agreement.

"Ma'am, do you think you could re-activate these things?" he asked. Tali looked at the floor and thought to herself. It was a long-shot, but one that could save their lives.

"If I could find the control room, I could try, but there's no guarantee." She said. Kal pondered over her words and turned to Lota.

"Lota, take her to the control room. Keep her safe." He said. Tali slightly tensed at his command. With the two of them leaving, Kal would have a serious disadvantage if the geth come sooner than expected. There was little concern in his body language though. It was enough to make her feel better, but not enough to make her stop worrying about it.

"What about you, Kal? If we leave, you are Gar will be the only ones left when the geth get here." She quipped. Kal looked at her with a small, invisible smile.

"Don't worry about us, ma'am. This is bravo squad. We'll take a hundred of them before they can lay a hand on us." He said confidently. "Now we all have a job to do. Let's get to it."

Tali nodded and went with Lota down the hall. Kal turned his attention back to the other side, where the geth were going to come in. He looked around and knocked down some lockers to use as cover. Gar stumbled out of the classroom and settled down behind one. Kal joined him and opened his comms.

"Ket, how are those mines coming along?"

"Almost done. I wish I had more to be honest. This is going to make new year's seem like a push over." He replied with content. It was obvious Ket enjoyed his job; it came to no surprise that he wanted more explosives.

"Olia, what's the status on the geth platforms? When are they getting here?"

"Bad news Kal, I just picked up another group of geth heading your way and it's closer than the rest." She said grimly. "You have two minutes at most before contact. Better get your asses into gear before they arrive."

"Roger. Keep feeding us intel Olia." Kal said, cutting the line shortly after. He held his rifle close. He could hear the loud thunder as clear as day and he could just make out the bone-chilling sound of stuttering.

…

Tali and Lota reached the control room with no trouble. Once they got inside they found most of the hardware destroyed or gone. Tali expected as much but that didn't stop her from thinking that it wasn't a lost cause. The mainframe of the turrets was thankfully unharmed and could be rebooted. Tali hunched over the terminal and started rapidly hitting the keys. The terminal was painfully slow. At this rate the geth would get here before she would be able to activate them.

"Come on you stupid little bosh'tet." Tali grumbled in frustration. When the menu finally popped up, she began looking for the turret activation. When she found it she hastily activated it. Then a window popped up asking for the activation code.

"You've got to be kidding me." She mumbled lividly. She didn't have the code on her and it didn't take a genius to know that it was long gone. The only choice she had left was to hack the terminal, which would only take longer. She waved her omni-tool over the terminal and streams of code flew across the screen. Tali carefully pressed and attached several nodes of security. Before meeting Shepard, she would have been fumbling around with this kind of thing. But now she was flying past it like she had done in a million times. And she probably did.

_And I owe it all to you._

Once she connected the last node, a new window popped up. One with various amounts of computer code and symbols. That caught Tali off-guard. She never expected to have to breach a second firewall. That never happened before.

Regardless, she pushed through what she could. Behind her she could hear Lota talking into her communicator.

"Kal, we're just now activating the turrets. How are things on your end?" she asked.

"Things are quiet. But listen up, Olia just told me there's another group of geth on the way. We have a minute tops. Hurry up and activate then rendezvous with us back here." He said through the other line. The thought of more geth sent a shiver down both her spine but she was careful not to let it appear in her voice.

"Roger. We'll finish up here then meet up with you guys." Lota dropped then line and sighed. "You should hurry up, Tali. We've got more geth on the way and they're coming fast."

"I'm working as fast as I can. I didn't expect so much security from this terminal. Hopefully this is the last one." Tali muttered while completing the last string of codes. Her omni-tool flashed a green light before the terminal granted her complete access.

Tali did a mental fist pump and activated the turrets. An alarm was suddenly raised and turrets began popping out from the ceilings and walls.

"What was that?" Ket asked over the comms. Tali activated her comm system.

"It's the turrets we found. They're online. It should give us a little more firepower against the geth." She explained.

"Oh, nice work then." Ket complimented. "Hey boss, she's a keeper."

"I know." Kal replied.

Tali let a small smile grow on her lips before standing up and taking out her shotgun. In the distance she could hear the loud _bang _of explosives being detonated.

"Boss, the geth have hit the building. I'm counting three mines that have blown up." Ket said.

"How many did you plant?"

"Fifteen. Enough to thin their ranks a bit. I'm making my way back to you."

"Copy that. Everyone rendezvous to my position. This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better."

…

Kal sat down behind the locker in silence. The echoes of the explosions hadn't stopped and neither did the sound of dying geth. Next to him was Gar and Ket who had recently come back. There was still no sign of Tali or Lota though.

"Check your clips squad. They'll be here any second." Kal ordered while doing it himself. The explosions grew nearer and nearer. It was only a matter of time before they made contact.

"Olia, give me a sit-rep." he said into his communicator. The frequency was still clouded in heavy static but he could still barely make out what she was saying.

"The geth have entered the school. The group from before is almost there. I'd say about two minutes until they join the party. Kal, be careful in there. I'd hate to fly back home alone." Olia said with deep concern, which was unusual for her. Kal nodded even though she couldn't see it. He raised his rifle over the locker and watched the hall. The explosions were closer than ever. They'd be there any second now.

Ket and Gar did the same. A puff of smoke came out from around the corner. Kal guessed the geth weren't far behind. Then without warning five geth turned the corner and opened fire. The squad returned fire instantly. Their shield's flared as they deflected the geth's shots. Kal ducked back under cover to let his shields recharge.

"Ket, toss a grenade in the middle of that group." He barked. Ket reached into his belt and lobbed a grenade down the hall. It rolled to the geth's feet and exploded, killing three of them. Ket ducked then the same time Kal got back up. With his shields recharged he jumped back into the fray, unleashing a barrage of bullets. One of the geth's shields overloaded for the merciless hail of gunfire. Gar finished it off with a shot to the chest.

Gar flashed his omni-tool in front of the group of geth and their weapons overloaded. Kal and Ket combined their firepower to take out a geth, shredding the shields and the synthetic in seconds. Kal bent down behind cover again and turned on his radio.

"Lota, where are you guys. We need back up. We can't hold them off for long!" he shouted.

"We're almost there Reegar. Just hold on a sec." Lota replied. Kal could hear the faint sound of gunfire behind her voice.

…

Tali wasn't prepared for the ambush the geth had set up. They were almost to Kal's position before geth started firing from behind them. Now they were both hiding behind a stone pillar in the middle of an intersection. Lota quickly returned fire, her shuriken sub-machine gun firing its usual three round burst. Tali waved her omni-tool in front of the geth and began hacking into its systems. One of the geth's lights turned red and fired at the geth in front of it, killing it before it could turn around.

The geth reverted back to normal almost as quickly as it was possessed. Lota pelted it with bullets and brought down its shields. Tali fired her shotgun and ripped a gaping hole in its shoulder and chest. With only one left, Lota and Tali combined their firepower to rip it to shreds. The geth's shields were quickly destroyed and it collapsed on the floor covered in its own 'blood'.

Lota sighed and clipped her shuriken to her belt. "We shouldn't waste any time. Let's get to Kal before it's too late."

The two of them broke into a sprint, Tali's legs pumped as she ran towards the source of all the gunfire and explosions. The two rounded a corner and found themselves behind the rest of the group. Four more geth rounded the corner the same time they did. Tali and Lota ducked under a nearby knocked over locker and fired.

The turrets popped out from the walls and began firing at the assaulting geth. Their firepower wasn't much but thankfully it was enough to kill the occasional geth.

One of the geth glowed green as it activated its overshield and charged head on at the group. Kal fired at the geth until gun began loudly hissing. He cursed under his breath and reloaded another clip.

"Everyone concentrate fire on that geth." Kal ordered. Everyone focused their fire on the juggernaut geth. Their combined fire barely destroyed his overshields before the geth reached them. It jumped on top of the locker and fired relentlessly at Gar. Kal reacted instantly and grabbed the geth's wrists and threw him up and over the locker before it could destroy Gar's shields.

Both of them tumbled to the ground fighting over the geth's gun. Tali and the rest of the squad kept firing while Kal fought ferociously for control of the gun. Kal elbowed the geth several times in the neck, but its grip didn't loosen. Ket pressed the barrel of his pistol against the geth's head and fired once. The geth's white 'blood' splattered all over the opposite side.

"You're welcome boss." Ket said, turning his attention back to the geth onslaught. Ten more turned the corner and immediately laid down heavy fire. Among them was a geth juggernaut. Gar cursed under his breath. He looked over to where Tali was standing and reached into his pocket. He fished out an OSD.

"Tali, put this to good use!" He shouted over the gunfire. He tossed it into the air and Tali caught it. She inserted in into her omni-tool and a progress bar quickly filled up.

"What is this?" She asked. A nearby explosion went off when she finished her sentence.

"Just a little something to get you out of a jam like this." Gar replied. He popped back up and fired a shell straight into a geth's chest, killing it. Tali looked back down at her omni-tool just as the progress bar filled completely. Tali held her omni-toll out and waved it in front of the geth horde. A purple ball suddenly appeared next to them and began shocking the geth. Tali was shocked, she wasn't expecting Gar to give her a combat drone.

"Smart thinking, Gar. Squad take them out while they're distracted." Kal barked. Everyone obeyed and laid down their fire. The sound of bullets being fired, the loud hissing of thermal clips, and dying geth filled the room. The geth juggernaut was soon the only thing left standing. The juggernaut charged them while firing a carnage blast. The super-heated shell exploded in front of Kal, Gar, and Ket and launched all of them backwards.

The three of them hit the ground hard. None of them tried to get up. Tali and Lota looked up to see the Juggernaut coming straight at them. It raised its gun, prepared to fire. Tali and Lota hid behind cover as it fired in bursts, chipping away at their cover. Tali reloaded another clip in her shotgun and returned fire, only managing to damage its shields. Lota fired after her but didn't have any luck taking it down.

The juggernaut was just about to fire again until it was shocked from behind by Tali's drone. The geth turned around and unleashed a barrage of bullets on the helpless drone. It exploded and disappeared. The juggernaut turned around and was immediately stuck in the face by a mine.

The mine detonated a second after it stuck to the geth. The blast was too close for its shields to stop it and it blew off the geth's head, leaving nothing but a jagged stump. It twitched for a second before falling to the floor. Tali walked towards the juggernaut and fired a shell in it out of spite. Lota went to check on the other three.

Lota gently cradled Ket's head. "Ket, wake up. C'mon, get up." She whispered. His eyes cracked open and he groaned.

"Lota, did you die too?"

"Shut up." She said sweetly. She hoisted him up then checked on Gar. Kal was already picking himself up.

"Are you alright ma'am?" Kal asked Tali. She nodded and attached her shotgun on her lower back.

"Olia, we're okay down here. Any sign of more geth?" he asked.

"Good news, there's only one geth coming after you. Bad news, it's an armature." She replied. That answer sent a chill down Kal's spine. They had already used all of their explosives; they didn't have enough firepower to take on an armature. Just then they heard the loud stuttering.

"What in Keelah's name was that?" Gar questioned. Kal raised his rifle and scanned the halls. More loud stuttering echoed the halls. There was a period of silence after that, nothing moved, nobody said a word. Suspense lingered in the air as Kal stepped closer to the noise. Tali wasn't far behind with her shotgun raised.

Then out of nowhere the armature burst through a wall, collapsing the ceiling and walls around it. Rain fell into the hallways as it charged up its shields. The turret's pea-sized bullets did little to damage the armature's strong shields.

"Squad, fall back NOW!" Kal shouted. The armature fired its slug at Kal. He narrowly jumped out of the way and the slug hit the floor. The entire squad turned around and broke into a sprint, the armature chasing after them while firing, destroying the turrets and walls as it moved. As soon as the squad turned the corner they came face to face with the worst possible thing.

Another armature.


	19. Chapter 19

**Well this is what power writing gets you. Not that I hated it. It reminded me of the old days. But instead of taking me three days, this took me one. **

**And I have gotten my hands on ME3, as most of you did. I haven't finished it yet, but I am fully aware of the endings. My two cents? I'm disappointed in it and BioWare like you guys. And that's coming from the optimist. I pretty much lost faith in what was my favorite series and game company.**

**But I'm not going to delve into that. I'm here to provide you with entertainment. And if I help you guys forget about it, then I'll be happy. That is something I'll take to heart. I'm not going anywhere.**

**Liege-Lord: You know, sometimes I wish I could name my combat drone. I'd call it...Fluffy.**

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><p>Chapter 19: Deliverance<p>

Kal grabbed Tali by the wrist and pulled her into a nearby classroom. Tha armature fired its slug just as the rest of the squad ran into the room, leaving a crater where the shot hit. Dust clouds choked the room as the school's foundations were shaken from the blast.

"We don't have a lot of time!" Kal shouted over the sound of the armatures' incessant stutters. He shot open a window and crawled through it. Gar and Lota followed him. Tali was about to go next until she heard a loud crash. The armatures bursted through the wall next to the door.

"Go, Tali! I got this." He said. Tali fired off several shells that bounced off the armatures' powerful shields. She jumped through the window. Ket grabbed a proximity mine and dropped it at his feet before jumping out. He tucked and rolled to his feet and looked back. A ball of fire erupted from the window, shattering all the other ones. Tali could feel the intense heat even through her suit. Puffs of smoke emanated from the windows as the stuttering slowed to a stop.

"I think that did the trick. How about a medal, boss?" Ket asked. A loud stutter brought their attention back to the school, where the armatures bursted through the wall with hardly a scratch.

"I don't think you deserve a medal if you thought that would work." Gar said.

"Spread out, give them multiple targets!' Kal barked. The squad broke up and ran. Tali and Kal ran into a nearby ally while the rest took off into the streets. Tali looked back and saw the armatures going after them.

The two came into a large courtyard and looked back. The armatures were hot on their trail. Tali looked frantically for another means of escape, but there wasn't anywhere else they could go. They were surrounded by buildings too high to climb. The armature in front charged up another shot and fired. Tali and Kal jumped out of the way.

Tali landed on her side, shell-shocked from the blast. The ringing in her ears made it hard to think. She looked up and saw Kal struggling to pick himself up. She can barely make out the damage on the back of his suit. To her relief, it didn't look too bad.

Kal pulled himself up to his feet and lazily fired a few shots. The explosion had left him dazed. The armature's shifted its attention away from the helpless women in front of it to the quarian shooting. Tali stood up and fired another round at the armature. Its shields suddenly dropped and it angrily stuttered.

Tali pulled the trigger and panicked when her shotgun beeped rapidly. She was out of ammo. Tali held out her omni-tool in front of her and her combat drone appeared next to the armature. An orange electric bolt shocked the armature's circuits. The one behind it spotted the drone and unleashed a torrent of bullets. The drone was destroyed in a matter of seconds.

"Tali!" Kal shouted. Tali turned and saw Kal toss her a thermal clip. She caught it and reloaded her shotgun.

"Gar, what's your location?" Kal asked through his comms.

"We're pinned down over here! We're surrounded by geth!" Ket replied. Kal could barely hear him over the sounds of explosions and gunfire on the other end. Kal fired at the armature a few more times before his own rifle began beeping. Panic swept over him. They were sitting ducks. The armature turned back to Tali and fired another hail of gunfire. Tali's shields only deflected a few shots before they were destroyed. Kal grabbed her and pulled her out of the way before her suit was pierced.

Tali looked up at the two armatures. They were blocking the exit and they had no ammo. She looked up at her death as it prepared another volley of gunfire. In that instant, all of her hope diminished. Her team was separated and now all she had left to do was to die the same way her ancestors did, at the hands of an unfeeling synthetic.

"You're not going to win that easily." Olia said through the comms. Tali could hear the roaring of their shuttle's engines as it cruised over them.

Olia's fingers danced across the holographic controls. As soon as she saw the two armatures she dipped the shuttle down and towards them. She braced herself for the impact and rocked forward when she hit the armatures square in the head. Her seatbelt dug into her suit and scratched her skin. Her shuttle tipped to the right as it drew nearer to the stone buildings.

Olia frantically regained control of the shuttle and brought it back up. The shuttle made a groaning noise. Olia was pushing it to its limits. The shuttle hit the edges of the roof and lost control again. Olia gasped as the seatbelt dug further into her skin, making it raw. She tried to ignore it as best as she could and focused on the controls before her.

"C'mon girl, show em what you're made of." Olia whispered. The shuttle lurched right and headed towards a skyscraper. Olia redirected primary power to the port side engines to stabilize it. The shuttle leveled out and Olia regained control. She sighed and flashed a cocky grin.

"You never let me down."

"Olia, that was reckless." Kal chastised her through the comms.

"You're welcome."

…

"We have to get to the squad, Kal. We have a chance to rescue them." Tali told him. Kal looked at her and slowly nodded.

"Stay away from the fight, Olia. If you scrap that shuttle we're all done for." Kal ordered. Tali and Kal jumped over the mangled armatures and into the street the rest of the squad ran to. They saw the geth firing into a small shack twenty meters away.

"Tali use your drone. Give them something else to shoot at." Kal said. Tali's omni-tool flashed and her combat drone appeared in the midst of the geth mob. The purple drone wasted no time in assaulting the geth. Tali aimed her omni-tool at the geth's weaponry and pressed a button next to her wrist. Their pulse rifles began to malfunction and overheat. Gunfire erupted from the shack and mowed down the defenseless geth.

"I don't know what you did, Kal. But it worked." Gar spoke. "Alright, it looks clear. We're coming out."

The squad took a few cautious steps out and regrouped with Kal and Tali. Her combat drone hovered to her side.

"That wasn't me. Our newest addition did the work." Kal said, looking over at Tali. The appreciation made her blush slightly.

"Guess you put the drone to good use too." Gar said.

"Yeah, she might take your job, Gar." Ket interjected while crossing his arms. Gar shot him a glare.

"You guys need to cut your reunion short. We have more geth on the way and they aren't happy." Olia said.

"Roger that. Let's move." Kal said.

…

The rain had gotten a lot worse as the squad travelled. They were already a few blocks away from Hakora'Pal. Tali was relieved. Their ammo supply had been exhausted. They only had a few clips left to share among the group. With any luck, they could get in and out of the club without so much as a squeak. If they wasted any more ammo, they'd be dead for sure.

But their ammo shortage wasn't the only thing she was worried about. There was something else that was bothering her. Throughout the journey to Hakora'Pal, her suit's computer had been acting up. At first she thought she was having an equipment malfunction but then the others started having it too.

"Maybe it's the geth." Ket suggested. "They might be using everything they have to stop us."

That seemed the most plausible choice. The geth were capable of making EMP's that could cover entire cities. But Tali still wasn't convinced. If they were using an EMP against them, why is it only interfering with their computers instead of outright frying them?

But that wasn't all. The closer they drew to Hakora'Pal, the more they noticed there was an odd lack of geth. Sure there was still a few around, but not nearly as many as she thought there would be.

These questions bogged down Tali's mind. Something seemed off. She wasn't sure what it was causing all this, which only made her more uneasy.

The squad approached the building that housed the Hakora'Pal club. Inside would be the geth hub and the encryption key. Tali hacked open the elevator and the squad piled in. The elevator groaned. It was obvious that it hadn't been used in generations but thankfully it managed to climb the building.

"Olia, we're almost at the geth hub. We'll have the encryption key in ten minutes tops." Kal said.

"Good. I'll stay out of the city until you guys grab the objective then head over to Serenity Tower. If we pull this off drinks are on me." She replied. Tali looked out at the massive expanse of the city. She never had the chance to appreciate its beauty. This was the first time she ever saw a quarian city for herself. It was elegant and tranquil in its design. It gave her a sense of calm and interest. As she looked on, she couldn't help but feel slightly grief-stricken.

She always wondered what it would be like to live in a quarian city, even as a child she was enamored with the thought of it. But the practical side of her always told her that it was a foolhardy dream. Something that could only be talked about in stories. Now that she was here, looking out over the great city, it really sunk in how hopeless that dream was. How much the quarians lost because of a stupid war.

Maybe her ancestors could have done something differently. Maybe Shepard was right that the quarians were too rash in trying to eliminate the geth. They could have found another way. They could have ended the war peacefully.

Tali shook those thoughts out of her head. No matter how much she tried to rationalize a better ending, there was no way around it. They had no choice but to eradicate the geth, lest they decided to rebel.

Her thoughts were cut off when the elevator came to a sudden halt. "We're here." Kal said. Tali pulled out her shotgun and aimed at the door along with everyone else. The door smoothly opened, revealing an amazing sight.

"Keelah." Tali breathed as she took in the sights. The club was filled with geth hubs. There were at least ten of them on the bottom floor alone, with four geth attached to all of them. At the top balcony, where the music was played, was the main hub. Large wires were strewn across the floor, connecting all of the hubs together.

"This looks complicated." Ket said as he carefully walked into the room, sub-machine gun raised.

"Ma'am, get to the hub and get the encryption key. We'll cover you." Kal said. Tali nodded and made her way to the geth hub. Lota and Gar followed her. She ascended the stairs and stopped in front of the hub. She opened her omni-tool and began hacking into it.

"The security in this thing is harder to crack then I thought. I might need a minute." She announced.

"Take your time, ma'am. The geth haven't spotted us yet." Kal replied. Tali absently chewed on her tongue while she hacked into the hub's central server.

"Hey boss, I see Serenity Tower from here." Ket said. Kal walked over to where he was standing and looked out the window. The tower wasn't far from the club. A well-placed hookshot could easily transfer them to the tower in less than a minute.

"Ket, get the hookshot ready. As soon as we get the key we're outta here." He said. Ket nodded and loaded a three-pronged hook into his assault rifle.

Tali breached a firewall and was met with a more complex network then before. She entered another stream of data code and began capturing various nodes and databases.

Her suit's computer began acting up again. The display on her visor began to crackle and vanish.

"There's that interference again." Lota said.

"This is getting annoying." Gar said. "Why don't the geth just fry our electronics and be done with it?"

"Let's not tempt fate, Gar." Kal said. "Ma'am, how's the hacking coming along?"

"I'm almost done. Should be one more network left." Tali answered as she broke through another firewall. True to her word, another one popped up. Tali tackled the security head on. The booming sound of thunder echoed in the room, making her jump slightly. She never experienced a thunderstorm before. It was a little terrifying to her.

"What was that?" Ket asked, turning his attention back to the window.

"What?" Kal asked.

"Sounded like an explosion." Ket replied.

"It must have been the thunder." Kal said.

"You must be at your wit's end, Ket." Gar chuckled.

"I've been hearing explosions all my life. I know what one sounds like." Ket replied. He stared out the window again before making a content grunt.

"Okay…got it." Tali said. She stood up and the whole hub began to hum to life. Tali looked around to make sure none of the geth had been activated. A loud beep brought her attention back to the hub. A receptacle popped out of the hub, carrying a yellow-green chip. Tali delicately wrapped her fingers around it and disconnected the key.

Alarms began blaring. The geth began disconnecting themselves!

"Keelah. Ket get that hookshot ready!" Kal said as he shot out the windows. Ket aimed the hookshot and fired at the tower. The hook flew through the air and broke through another window, attaching itself to its frame.

"It's ready, boss. Let's get out of here." Ket shouted. The geth began reaching for their weapons. Ket grabbed his Tempest with both hands and used it to slide down the zip line. Tali, Lota, and Gar raised their weapons and began firing at the geth.

"Squad, get down to the zip line now." Kal said through the comms. Tali gunned down a nearby geth and raced towards Kal's position. She used her shotgun the same way Ket did. She held on as tightly as she could and didn't dare to look down. Once she reached the end she let go and rolled across the floor.

Ket pulled her up to her feet and they both looked back as Gar and Lota came next.

"Where's the boss?" Ket asked.

"He said he was holding them off." Gar replied. They looked on as the saw Kal gunning down a few more geth. He took a quick glance back at his squad before jumping down the zip line. He drew closer and closer to Serenity Tower. Tali knew he was going to make it. Until she saw a splatter of blood shoot out from his shoulder. He hit the ground hard and rolled onto his stomach. Lota and Tali rushed to his side, the former putting a generous amount of medi-gel on his shoulder. Kal hissed slightly from the cold gel.

"Are you okay, Kal?" Tali asked.

"I'll live. It's just a flesh wound." He said. His suit sealed off the suit breach and injected him with antibiotics. Ket and Gar both heard a loud roar and turned around. A geth ship flew in and took aim at them. Ket and Gar took cover behind a table as the ship fired at them. Tali pulled Kal out of the line of fire while Lota took cover next to Ket.

"There's no way Olia can land with that thing around." Kal said.

"We don't have the firepower to take it down." Ket said.

"Olia stay away from Serenity Tower. We're pinned down…just go." Kal said into the comms.

"What? You're out of your mind, Kal." Olia replied.

"We don't have the firepower to take that geth ship down. None of us are going to make it if you come here." Kal reasoned.

"There's no way I'm leaving you guys behind. What about the mission?"

Kal looked at Tali, who returned the stare.

"Ma'am, get to the top of the tower. We'll distract the ship. Give you time to leave." Kal said. Tali was dumbstruck by his order. She felt a knot of desperation form in her chest.

"No no no no, I'm not leaving all of you to die." She said. Kal shook his head.

"We knew what we signed up for, ma'am. You didn't ask to be a part of this mission. I know you didn't. It's only fair that you be allowed to live." Kal said. He handed her his assault rifle. "Don't let this go to waste. Make sure your father comes through with this."

Tali cradled the rifle in her arms. She looked back up at Kal who solemnly nodded. Tali felt her mind go numb. She was going to lose people all over again. Just like on Conicu, just like on the Normandy. But this time, she would at least make it worth it.

Tali gave Kal a quick hug before taking off in the direction opposite of the window. Kal pulled out his pistol and began firing along with the rest of his squad.

…

Tali opened a ceiling hatch and crawled onto the roof of the tower. She could see the shuttle coming through the clouds. Tali looked at the encryption key in her hand then at the geth ship that was attacking the squad below her. They sacrificed their lives to get this to her father. Tali wanted to hit the floor as hard as she could out of anger. She'd seen too many people die in a short amount of time. The guilt that ate away at her was like a knife was going through her heart. Was this what Shepard felt like all the time?

Tali try to rein in her feelings and bottled them up. It would come in handy if she ever encountered more geth bosh'tets. The shuttle settled at the edge of the tower and the door opened. Tali stepped in and looked back. She wouldn't forget their sacrifice. She even hoped, no matter how small the chance, that her father would do the same. The shuttle shook slightly and lifted off.

"Keelah se'lai." Tali whispered. She drew a circle in the air and made a line through it at the top. She grabbed the door handle and shut it.

Tali looked through the window at the destruction beneath her. The ship was still there. It was still shooting at her squad. Tali could feel tears welling up around her eyes.

"Damn, I'm having a malfunction!" Olia exclaimed. Tali's visor began acting up as well. Before either could ask what was going on, a bright light suddenly appeared in the center of the city. Tali squinted her eyes and could barely make out what looked like a wave of blue electrical energy. She instantly knew what it was.

_EMP!_

"Olia, pull up!" she shouted. The shuttle began climbing up. The electrical wave drew closer and closer. Tali held on to a handle on the roof as tightly as she could. The wave engulfed Serenity Tower and Tali saw the geth ship suddenly lose power and plummet to the ground.

"Hold on tight!"

Tali gritted her teeth as the electrical wave approached. It barely missed the shuttle by inches but Tali could still _feel _it in her bones. The shuttle came to a halt and Tali looked out at the city. Everything was quiet and still. A thought suddenly entered Tali's head.

"What was that!" Olia asked in surprise.

"An EMP. What were the geth thinking? They just killed themselves with that blast." Tali said. A thought pushed into her head and she turned to the pilot's cabin.

"Go back to the tower! Kal might still be alive." She said.

"You don't have to tell me twice."

The shuttle turned and headed for the tower again. Tali's hope grew more and more as they got closer. She didn't even wait until the shuttle was completely down before she jumped out. She opened the hatch and almost laughed when she saw the squad trying to climb out. Tali held out her hand and helped them out. She and Lota both worked together to pull Kal out, who was still injured but very much alive.

"What in Keelah's name was that?" Gar asked.

"It was an EMP. Somebody detonated it and took out all the geth." Tali explained.

"That was an act of Keelah if I've ever seen one." Ket said. "One second we were shooting at the geth, the next, all of our equipment malfunctioned and the geth shutdown. Even the ship is toast."

"I guess fate has other plans for us other than letting us die here. I won't argue with that. Let's get out of here." Kal said. Everyone piled into the shuttle.

"Thanks for coming back, ma'am. You could have left us back there." Kal said.

"I would never abandon my team. You guys aren't an exception."

…

A pair of silver eyes watched the marines pile onto the shuttle. All around the building she was standing on there were dead geth. Bullets riddled their bodies. Their armor was burnt and chipped away, the sure sign of explosives and biotics. Even a few geth primes were scattered throughout the battlefield.

"How many survived?" a human asked. The quarian woman lowered her binoculars and turned to him.

"All of them. They safely extracted the encryption key. We don't have any other reason to stay." She said, putting a hand on her hip. She looked back at the large EMP bomb behind her. She had her doubts about the EMP working, but it turns out the techs were telling the truth.

"We should report to Vick. Let him know the mission was completed." The human said. He walked back to the shuttle along with a krogan and an asari. All of them, including the quarian, were wearing all black. The quarian looked back at the city. She never felt any desire to live in a city that was overtaken by the geth. But if it was what the fleet, and Marcus, wanted, who was she to argue?

She climbed aboard the shuttle and into the pilot's seat. She pressed a few buttons on the controls and a quarian in a dark blue suit appeared. He made a curt nod that the woman returned.

"Status?"

"All subjects are accounted for. The EMP went off without a hitch, and we have a city full of dead geth." She reported.

"And the encryption key?"

"They got away with it. No doubt they'll send it to Admiral Zorah for study."

She could see Vick wince slightly at the mention of the Admiral but decided not to press it.

"Very well, report back to Illium. Marcus wants to see you." Vick said, cutting the line. The woman took control of their shuttle and lifted off into the clouds. Gone just as quickly as they arrived.

* * *

><p><strong>So who were those people? Why the men in black of course!<strong>

**But you'll see more of them in the next fic. Along with an announcement. So stay tuned, and please review!**

**Ferret out.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Here comes the chapter! My fav dinosaur's a raptor! Just thought I'd share. :)**

**SergiusTheGreat: They're ninjas. Hey, Phantoms are basically space ninjas with their space swords. I can have space ninjas too.**

**Liege-Lord: Gracias. I do try. Even if I take a whole days to do it. Why? Just cuz.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 20: Is It Really You?<p>

Over the next year Tali went on more and more missions with Kal and his squad. Every mission was just as dangerous as the last. Her father's briefings didn't help much either. His exact intentions were becoming more and more lost on her. He began asking her to salvage any geth parts she could find that weren't dangerous, not just going after a specific item or piece of data. Of course, she would always obey. If it meant learning more about the geth, then she would do it without hesitation. Her father's experiments, coupled with her data about geth evolution, could mean that they had a chance to get the homeworld back.

Tali's exceptional service wasn't just noticed by her father, but by the rest of the admiralty as well. They believed that she was ready for more responsibility. They wanted to see if she had potential as a leader rather than a soldier.

That is why she was going to Freedom's Progress. There was a young quarian named Veetor that set off a distress beacon there. The admiralty thought that this would be a good time to test her leadership skills.

After this, she was going to be given command of a science team bound for Haestrom. They were going to conduct research on the its sun. Some strange phenomena was causing it to age much faster than it should. The admiralty wanted to know if it was suitable for colonization when, and if, they reclaimed what was taken from them.

The mission made her nervous. The marines kept saying that it was a suicide mission. They were heading deep into geth territory. Trying to stay undetected while conducting research seemed nearly impossible. Tali knew what the odds of survival were, but she agreed to them anyways. She had nothing left in her life besides serving her people and hoping they'd eventually believe her about the reapers.

If they survived, then she'd be much closer to achieving that goal. If not, at least she wouldn't be around to see the end.

"We'll be at the colony in a few minutes, Ms. Zorah." Elraa said. She was the shuttle's pilot. Tali was sitting next to her leaning her head back against the hard seat. She had almost fallen asleep and made a tired yawn.

"Alright. I'll go tell the team." She said. Tali opened the door to the passenger cabin and stepped in. Her team was awake, checking and re-checking their weapons and equipment.

"Here's the plan," Tali started. Everyone took their eyes off their weapons and looked at her. She was slightly taken aback by the sudden attention. She wasn't used to ordering around other people. She straightened her posture and said, "We go in, find Veetor's location and leave before anyone comes to salvage this place."

It didn't seem like much of a plan, but the team didn't seem to mind. The only person who seemed to have a problem with it was Prazza, who snorted in amusement.

"That's it?"

Throughout the entire ride to Freedom's Progress, Prazza worked hard to be a thorn in Tali's side. She didn't know what the problem with him was. She could only assume that it was because she was given command so easily. Still, she had to keep him in line as best she could.

"That's it." She replied. "It's simple enough to follow."

Tali shut the cabin door and settled down in the co-pilot's seat.

_Even for you._

…

The shuttle landed on a small landing pad. The colony was eerily quiet. There wasn't a sound. Tali and her squad stepped out with their weapons raised.

"I'll wait here for extraction. Good hunting." Elraa said.

"Copy that, Elraa." Tali said. Tali motioned for her squad to move forward. "Prazza, take point."

Prazza huffed in annoyance and reluctantly obeyed. He and another quarian stacked up against a door. Tali stood in front and kept her shotgun ready. With a nod, Prazza opened the door and the squad scanned the room. The building was dark. Tali slowly stepped in. The lights detected their movement and flickered to life.

"Where is everybody?" one of them asked.

"I don't know, Uria. It's like they just disappeared." Tali replied.

"Are we sure Veetor's even here? What if they did something to him?" another marine named Deyo said.

"We'll know when we get to the distress beacon location." Tali said. The squad advanced further into the home and stopped inside the living room.

"Uria, put up the holo-map. Let's see what we have." Tali said. Uria laid a small black box on the floor and a hologram of the entire colony popped up. A red dot began pulsing in a pre-fab unit not far from their location.

"Okay, he isn't far. We can grab him and get out quicker than I thought." Tali said. "Everyone get ready. We're close to finishing this."

Tali heard the door open and looked back. She was surprised to see a LOKI mech standing there. Everyone looked up to see the unexpected mech continue standing there.

"What's that thing doing here?" Uria asked as she cautiously stood up.

"Hostiles detected!" the mech beeped. The LED lights on its visor turned red and it brandished its Shuriken. Tali dove for cover as did the rest of the squad. She leaned out to fire but before Tali could pull the trigger, Prazza pelted the mech with a barrage of bullets.

"Systems failing!" the mech beeped. The mech fell to one knee and struggled to get back up. Prazza ran up to it and finished it off with a shot to the head.

The head exploded into a stump of metal and plastic. The mech twitched a bit before finally succumbing to the damage. Prazza lowered his rifle and huffed in satisfaction. Then out of nowhere the entire mech exploded, sending shards of the mech in all directions. Prazza was lucky that his shields deflected the unexpected explosion but the blast sent him back a few feet.

"Worthless piece of junk." He muttered as he shook his head. Tali put her shotgun back on the small of her back and approached the remains of the hostile mech.

"Why did it attack us? We didn't provoke it." She said as she examined the remains.

"Isn't it obvious that the mech saw our weapons and attacked? You may be an expert in tech, Zorah, but you must be lacking in common sense." He chided. Tali didn't give him the pleasure of a reaction. She observed the scorched parts of the mech. There wasn't anything that she could scan to see what caused it to attack.

"Everyone form up. We still have a quarian to rescue." She said. Prazza mumbled to himself and followed her lead.

Outside of the pre-fab unit, Tali scanned every corner and dark area for more mechs. If there was one, she was willing to bet there would be more.

"Uria, are you picking up anything?" she asked as she peered over a crate. Uria opened her omni-tool and watched the radar intently.

"I'm picking up some traces of electro-magnetic fields across the colony. It has to be the mechs. I still don't understand why they are activated." She said. She closed her omni-tool and held her rifle closer.

"I have a bad feeling about this. We haven't seen a single human in this colony." Deyo said. It was obvious his nerves were rattled by the unsettling quiet.

"I know." Tali said. "But we'll figure it out. We'll get out of this alive."

Deyo took a deep breath to calm himself and nodded. Tali felt a little guilt for bringing Deyo with her. He was fresh out of training and had only been using combat sims before today. She would do her best to ensure that he got out of this alive and in one piece.

"Contact!" Prazza shouted. "Straight ahead!"

Everyone whipped towards his direction instantly. Three mechs were closing in guns raised.

"Take cover!" Tali ordered. The squad did as they were told and took cover behind crates and blocks of stone. The mechs relentlessly opened fire on their position. Tali unhooked her shotgun from her back and the squad returned fire in equal measure.

"Weapon discharges are prohibited. Please surrender your firearms." One of the mechs beeped. Tali responded by firing a slug into the mech's chassis. Uria joined her and fired at the mech's side, reducing it to shreds. The mech lost control of its left side but still moved forward.

"Uria, overload it!" Tali commanded. Uria nodded and led out her omni-tool. A blue spark shot out from its end and the mech arced its back and threw its hands in the air. It wasn't much, but it gave Tali enough time to end its life.

Deyo popped out from cover and fired short bursts at the oncoming mech. His bullets pierced the mech's dermal armor and sent it into a spasm.

Tali aimed her omni-tool at the vulnerable mech and began hacking into its subroutines. The LED lights in its visor began flickering and flashed white.

"Targeting parameters reconfigured." It chimed as it turned to the last mech. The mech noticed its new enemy and turned towards it. Both fired at the same time and killed each other. Everyone walked out of cover and began scavenging their fallen enemies for thermal clips.

Tali grabbed a thermal clip hanging from a mech's belt when Uria called her over.

"Tali, I found something in the mech's logs." She said. She scanned her omni-tool over the mech again to validate her results. Tali knelt down next to her.

"What is it?"

"You were on to something after all. I looked into their programming logs. All of their targeting parameters changed yesterday, around the time Veetor set off the distress signal. They are no longer following the provocation protocol. Now they'll just shoot anything that moves." She said. Tali waved her omni-tool over the corpse and achieved the same results.

"You're right. Did Veetor do this?" Tali asked herself. Prazza walked up behind them.

"Don't be ridiculous. What reason would Veetor have to call for help then put these mechs in our way?"

Prazza was getting on her nerves. He was constantly questioning her authority since they met. Luckily, Uria sprung to her defense.

"We don't have the whole story yet, Prazza. Let's not leave anything to chance. Stranger things have happened." She said, looking up at him. Prazza eyed her then Tali.

"You got that right." He sneered. His comment made Tali's blood boil. She was getting tired of his attitude. Part of her wanted to send him back to the ship, but that would ultimately weaken the team. She just had to suck it up and move on.

"We're close to Veetor's location. Let's get a move on." She said. Uria nodded and joined her with the rest of the squad.

…

Out on the fringes of the colony, a white and black shuttle landed. Three people walked out and began exploring the colony.

…

"Weapons are forbidden!" A mech chimed only to be met with a barrage of gunfire. The lone mech had no chance against the onslaught of bullets coming from the squad. Tali holstered her shotgun and approached the large bulkhead door in front of her.

"Uria, check this out. I don't have a good feeling about this." She said. The red-suited woman walked up next to her and checked her omni-tool readings.

"Keelah. I'm getting a massive spike behind this door. There is something big back there." She said. Tali took a few steps back and thought for a moment.

Whatever was back there was drawing a huge amount of electricity and power. That meant that it was something they'd be better off not confronting.

"We need to find another way around." She concluded. "It's too dangerous to go in head on."

"Where are we going to find another way in, Zorah?" Prazza asked, crossing his arms. "I say we just go in there. It'd take hours to find another way in."

Tali narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "No Prazza, I'm in charge here, I decide what we do. If you can't follow orders, go wait on the ship."

"You're not in charge! You're only here because your dad is an admiral. You don't have the guts to be a leader." Prazza scoffed. Tali took a determined step towards him.

"That's enough, Prazza! I've had it with you." Tali growled. Prazza took a step towards her as well and matched her tone.

"No, I've had it with you! Just because you're a daddy's girl doesn't give you the right to make a mockery of the chain of command. By default, I should be in charge and I say that we won't waste time looking for another way in. The sooner we're done with this mission the better." He said. He intentionally bumped Tali's shoulder and stopped in front of the bulkhead.

"Prazza, please." Tali pleaded. Prazza waved his hand across the access panel. The door creaked and strained to open. Prazza waved his hand across the panel again and the door complied. Tali prepared herself for the worst.

"Ha! What did I tell you, Zorah?" Prazza laughed. There was nothing hostile behind the door. Just three pre-fab units and a broken YMIR mech lay in the small courtyard.

"It's clear that you're too cautious for your own good. Veetor's in there." He continued while pointing at the pre-fab unit ahead of him. He took one egotistical stride after another, relishing in his victory.

"I can't wait to tell the admiralty about how Rael'Zorah's daughter was a-"

Prazza couldn't get another word out when he was suddenly annihilated by a chain gun. His shields were instantly destroyed and his body was riddled with bullets. Tali and the squad watched in horror as he fell to the ground and saw a working YMIR mech moving out of the shadows.

"Targets locked." The behemoth boomed. Its left arm opened and fired a missile in their direction. Tali reacted instantly and dove behind cover. Tali hunched over when the missile made contact. The resulting explosion caused her ears to ring.

When her hearing returned she could hear the panicking from Uria next to her.

"DEYO! GET OUT NOW!"

Tali looked desperately for the green recruit. Her heart sunk when she saw the quarian trying to desperately claw his way to cover. His suit was burnt to a near crisp and Tali was sure she could see a blood trail following him.

Tali felt the ground tremor as the mech moved closer to eliminate them. Tali grabbed Uria's arm and pulled her down with her behind cover. Tali could only watch in horror as the YMIR mech stopped in front of the dying quarian and raise its foot.

_Oh Keelah no…_

Tali and Uria looked away as the YMIR mech's foot came down. Deyo's ear-splitting cry of pain felt like a knife through Tali's heart. It worsened when she heard the mech fire three shots at the defenseless quarian, ending his screams.

"Oh Keelah…oh Keelah." Uria buried her face in her hands. She tried to take deep breaths to smother the tears forming around her eyes. Tali dared a peek over the crates and saw that the mech was searching for more hostiles.

"Stay quiet, Uria. If it thinks we're not here, it'll go looking for us. We'll grab Veetor and get out of here." She said. Uria stared at her and nodded. The two women waited anxiously for the mech to make a move but all was quiet and still.

Uria looked around the corner just enough to see with one eye. The mech was just standing there, unmoving.

"It's not going anywhere. How are we going to do this?"

As soon as Uria finished her statement, the mech began moving towards them.

"Reverting to patrol mode." The mech bellowed. Uria and Tali backed up as the mech moved closer. The mech walked right past them and walked into a pre-fab unit. Tali breathed a sigh of relief and she and Uria hurried out of cover.

Uria knelt down next to Deyo's corpse. It was no use trying to do anything. She already knew he was with the ancestors now, but still she wanted to pay her respects to the young marine.

"Deyo…"

Uria gently touched his mask. His eyes were still open. Uria hesitated briefly before taking off his mask and closing his eyes. Tali looked ahead and saw Prazza's corpse. Even though he was being an idiot, Tali couldn't help be feel a shred of guilt for failing to stop him.

Tali and Uria both heard what sounded like gunfire coming from behind them. Tali looked back and heard an explosion along with the unmistakable sound of the mech's chain gun.

"Somebody's distracting the mech. We have a chance. Come on." Tali said. Uria stood up and followed her into the courtyard, walking past Prazza's body without sparing a glance.

"Veetor's up ahead. We're almost there, Uria." Tali reassured her with a pat on the shoulder.

"Yeah. I just want this mission to be over with. I didn't think things would get this ba-"

Uria's shields flared as several rounds bounced off. Both women turned and raised their weapons to face their attackers. Three mechs were walking out of a pre-fab unit.

Tali and Uria dove for different crates and returned fire.

"Weapon discharges are prohibited. Please surrender your firearms." A mech beeped. Two of them kept the quarians in cover while the third moved to their position. Uria's shields recharged to full power and she leaned out to return fire. She managed to take out the leg of a mech and it toppled.

"Allied forces receiving casualties." The mech said. The mech began crawling towards her while still shooting. Uria retreated behind cover and reloaded. Tali aimed her shotgun and finished off the crippled mech.

Uria leaned out of cover again and held out her omni-tool, but she was shocked to see a mech in front of her and grab her by the wrist and twist it.

Uria yelped and tried to kick the mech as hard as she could. The mech jammed the barrel of its submachine gun against her stomach, past the kinetic barriers, and fired. Uria gasped and let go of her gun. Her stomach felt like it was on fire. Tali's eyes widened when she saw her last comrade fall at the hands of a mech.

Tali's face contorted into anger and she charged the unsuspecting mech. The mech sensed her coming but was too late to turn around. Tali unloaded her shotgun into the mech's head and blew it off. Acting quickly, she grabbed it and threw it as hard as she could at the last mech just as it detonated.

The resulting explosion knocked the mech off its feet and tossed it into the air and in front of Tali. The mech picked its head up and looked at her.

"Surrender your fire-"

Tali planted her boot on the mech's head and smashed it into the ground. Bits and pieces of plastic and glass broke off the mech's face. Its circuits were exposed.

"Systems fail-fail-fail."

Tali smashed its head against the pavement again, her powerful legs causing massive damage to the mech's CPU. Her anger fueled her desire to see it die in front of her.

"Sys-sys-systems-tems-tems f-f-f-fa-faaailing."

The mech twitched violently then grew still. Tali lightly kicked it but the mech didn't move.

"Tali." Uria strained to say. Tali turned and knelt beside her. Uria was clutching her stomach but a steady stream of blood flowed through her fingers. Tali knew from her ragged breathing that she wasn't going to last long with medical attention. She applied a generous dose of medi-gel and Uria's breathing slowed but was still ragged.

"Hold on, Uria." Tali urged. She activated Uria's section seals and injected her with antibiotics. She wanted to do more, but that was all she could do.

"Hey."

Tali heard that word and immediately turned around. There was a human woman in the door's threshold along with a darker skinned man next to her. A chill ran down her spine when she recognized the Cerberus logo on their clothes.

"Everything's alright."

Tali noticed a figure out of the corner of her eye. She looked up to see who it was and her heart skipped a beat.

Shepard was right there. Right next to her with the same lopsided grin she loved. Tali couldn't believe it. It had to be a dream. It had to be. In a few seconds she would wake up in the shuttle's cabin. But that didn't happen, she was still there. _He _was still there.

"What happened to her?" Shepard asked as he knelt down beside her. Tali shook her head free of her thoughts and went back to caring for Uria.

"She was shot in the stomach. I did what I could for her but she still needs medical attention." Tali said, still shocked at Shepard's appearance.

"I can help you take her to your shuttle." Shepard offered. Ever since he woke up from his 'slumber' Tali was at the forefront of his mind. He was worried that she didn't survive the destruction of the Normandy, but was relieved when Jacob told him she survived.

Despite the gravity of the situation, he couldn't help but smile. The familiar curves of her body brought some relief to him during this bizarre situation. The feelings he felt for her were now more apparent than ever.

"I would like that. Thank you for your help, Shepard" Tali said. Her mind was racing with questions. Was this real? Was this really Shepard she was talking to? Didn't he die? Why is he with Cerberus?

Those thoughts flooded her mind along with more. She wanted so badly to ask him and get some answers but for now, she had to take care of Uria.

"We're getting you out of here. Just hold on." Shepard told Uria. She nodded, her breathing was still ragged.

"Can you walk?" he asked sincerely. Uria writhed on the floor and gritted her teeth when a sharp pang of pain shot through her. She looked back at Shepard and shook her head. Shepard nodded understandably and picked her up.

"Where is your shuttle?" he asked.

"It's this way. Follow me." Tali said. Shepard followed her while carefully holding the wounded quarian.

"Miranda, Jacob, look around for the evidence we need, let me know what you find." He ordered.

"Understood, Commander." Miranda replied while narrowing her eyes at Tali. She couldn't tell if it was suspicion or something else, but it didn't matter to her right now. Right now, all that mattered was getting Uria to safety and getting answers.

…

"Elraa, get in here." Tali said when she entered the cabin. Elraa jumped up from her seat and joined her in the passenger cabin. Shepard set Uria down gently and checked her vitals.

"She's stable. You just need to get her to a doctor to patch her up." He said.

"What's going on, Tali. Who is this?" Elraa asked. She was skeptical about him, so Tali had to make sure she didn't bring up Cerberus or things could go bad.

"He's a colonist we found. Something happened to them, he was one of the few survivors. Can you take care of Uria while I'm gone? She was shot by a hostile mech." Tali asked. Elraa turned her attention to Uria and nodded. Tali inwardly sighed that her little white lie worked.

"Alright. You go finish things. I can take care of this." She said. Tali nodded and escorted Shepard out of the shuttle. Once the doors shut, Tali turned to Shepard.

"Shepard I…you're…what's going on? I thought you were…"

"Dead. Yeah, me too." Shepard finished. "Cerberus rebuilt me to investigate all of the colonies that have been disappearing."

The two began walking down the street. Tali seemed much calmer than she was before. "Is that why we haven't seen any colonists around? This place was abandoned when we got here."

"Looks like it. We're still trying to figure it out." Shepard replied. The two turned the corner into a desolate street and Tali turned towards him.

"Ummm Shepard, about this whole Cerberus thing, you aren't…with them…are you?" she asked nervously. Shepard let a small smile play on his lips. There was something about her nervousness that he adored. He found it cute.

"No Tali, I'm not with them. We're only working together to find out what happened to those missing people. Besides, how can I ally myself with a pro-human organization when one of my best friends is a different species?"

Tali was touched by his words, before she knew it she was wringing her hands again. "Thanks. That means a lot."

Shepard's smile grew wider. Even though it's been two years, she was still the same woman he knew. "So how did your pilgrimage go?"

"I completed it. The geth data you gave me didn't just help me, it helped my people. It caused quite a stir back home." Tali said with a half-laugh. "I'm with the crew of the Neema now. People still give me preferential treatment too, even if I tell them it's not necessary."

"Well…you are a princess." Shepard said with a grin. Tali couldn't help but laugh at the nickname he used to call her.

"Listen Tali," Shepard said with a more serious tone. "I know it's been a long time for you, it seems like a few hours ago I was still on the Normandy, but I'd be glad if we could work together again."

Tali could feel butterflies in her stomach. This had to be a dream. It had to be. Just like the one she had on the flotilla, she'd think it was real but then she'd wake up, discontent and alone.

Realizing Shepard was still waiting for an answer, she responded with "I-I'd like that. Being with you was the most amazing time of my life."

Tali realized what she accidentally implied and vigorously continued to wring her hands. "I...I didn't mean it like that."

What was wrong with her? Why was it so hard to control her feelings? She was able to hide them perfectly on the Normandy. Why couldn't she now?

Tali felt a grip on her hands and realized Shepard grabbed her hands to keep them still. She could feel the warmth of his hands though her gloves. Shepard gave her an amused look.

"I want to go with you, but I can't. I have a mission of my own. It's too important for me to abandon." She said. She could see the hint of sadness in Shepard's eyes. It left as soon as it arrived.

_He always tried so hard to mask his feelings. No matter what was thrown in front of him, he always moved past it. I remember when Kaidan died, he tried to cover up his feelings. He didn't come out of his cabin the whole day._

"I understand. You were always so devoted to your people." Shepard said with a hint of gloom. He let go of her hands and let them fall to his sides. Tali already missed the feeling.

"Shepard, when it's over. I will join you." She assured him. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

The corners of Shepard's lips curled into a smile. It made him feel better. "Thanks, Tali."

There was a period of silence between them. Shepard was just looking for something else to talk about, but Tali was waging a war in her mind. Here he was, the man she had feelings for, right in front of her. She had a second chance to tell him how she felt about him, but she didn't know if she could take it.

What if he didn't feel the same way? Tali didn't want to lose what she already had. They could lose their entire friendship if he didn't feel the same way and right now, that was most important thing to her.

But the other side of her wanted it. She fought too hard and too long to give up now. The ancestors were giving her a second chance. She should take it and deal with whatever happens.

What good could come out of it? If she did tell him and if he did feel the same way, she would have to leave him and go on a mission where her survival was unlikely. It wasn't fair. She was given this chance and fate wanted to toy with her again by throwing a suicide mission in between her and her wants.

"Well, I guess I should go see if Jacob and Miranda found anything. I'll…see you later Tali. It was great seeing you again." Shepard said.

It was now or never. Tali's eyes bounced around inside her helmet. She only had a few precious seconds to make her decision. Shepard began walking past her.

Tali's mind swam with the possible outcomes. Only a few were in her favor. But she had to act now before it was too late. Tali shut her eyes and gritted her teeth. She wasn't going to let fate play with her this time.

"Shepard, wait." She said, grabbing his arm.

Confused, Shepard turned to meet her. "What is it?"

"There's…there's something I need to tell you." She started. She let go of Shepard's arm and put her hand on the top of her visor.

"Is something wrong?" Shepard asked. He looked slightly worried.

"No, no. Nothing's wrong. There's just something I've wanted to tell you." Tali said. She took a deep breath and tried to formulate a way to tell him.

"Shepard…we've been through a lot together. Ever since you saved me from Saren, you've always looked out for me. You've always done everything you could to take care of me." She mumbled. She looked down at the floor before continuing. "And throughout the entire time, you treated me like an equal. You didn't care that I was a quarian. When other people would look down on me, you would see me as a person and I'm grateful for that."

Tali took a moment to gather her thoughts and said, "All of the things you did, the way you treated me, it made me feel like…it made me feel good. You made me feel good."

"So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I…I care about you too, but more than just friends. I have for a long time. When you died, I was heartbroken. I couldn't stop thinking about you for months. And now you're back and so are those feelings. I just…care about you a lot…I love you."

Tali's heart was beating faster with every passing second. She finally let it all out. She finally confessed her feelings. It gave her a sense of freedom.

Tali was still looking at the floor, but she felt something under the chin of her mask push her up to see his face. Shepard kept his hand under her mask and gave her a warm smile. He stared into her silver eyes and said, "Tali, there's a reason I spent so much time with you, why I was always treated better than anybody else. I feel the same way about you."

Tali's heart fluttered. Her knees buckled and the butterflies in her stomach became more apparent at his confession. She couldn't think straight and the heat rose to her cheeks. She was grateful for once to have a mask so Shepard wouldn't see her furious blushing.

Her mind came back to reality when Shepard grabbed her hands and gently held them in his own. She couldn't believe this was happening. This wasn't a dream, this was real, she knew it.

"Oh..oh Shepard you have no idea how…this is so…thank you." was all she managed to say. Shepard's smiled widened.

"Thank _you_, Tali."

Without a second thought, Tali wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight embrace. Shepard wrapped his arms around her waist and rubbed her back. They stayed like that for a while, time was lost on both them, and they simply basked in feeling of holding each other.

"Commander?"

Shepard sighed as he reluctantly let go of Tali and put two fingers on his communicator. "What is it Miranda?"

"We've found a quarian. His name is Veetor. He has something you'll want to look at." She said.

"Shepard. We came here to look for Veetor. We need to bring him back home." Tali said.

"We can take him in for questioning. Between the video he captured and his personal account, we'll have enough evidence to give to the Illusive Man."

"Shepard, you can't let them take him. He needs to be treated. Please let me take him and you can have the video." Tali said.

Shepard didn't even wait a second before saying "Miranda, take the video, but leave Veetor. Tali needs to take him to the flotilla."

"Yes…Commander."

"Thank you, Shepard. I'm glad you're still in charge." Tali said. Shepard looked at her and grinned. "You know, you owe me for this."

Tali cocked her head to the side. "Oh? Well what can I do to repay you?"

"I want you to promise me something." Shepard said as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Anything."

"Promise me you'll be careful out there." He said. Tali thought for a moment before putting a hand on his cheek.

"I promise."

Tali moved closer to him with a smile.

"After all, now have someone to come back to."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, it was a little challenging writing a romance with already existing characters and trying to gauge how they'd act. Let me know if I pulled it off. Please review, it makes writers feel all fuzzy inside.<strong>

**All that's left is the epilogue. Adios, my good audience**

** Ferret out.**


	21. Epilogue

Epilogue

"Tell me something Kelly, how long does it take to calibrate the Normandy's armaments?" Shepard asked from his private terminal. Kelly looked at him perplexed.

"My guess would be a few hours at most." Kelly replied.

"You hear that, Garrus? So what are you doing down there?" Shepard questioned with a grin.

"Where would the fun be in just spilling all my secrets, Shepard? Can't a turian have any privacy on the ship?" Garrus asked through the intercom on Shepard's terminal. "Oh wait, this is a Cerberus ship. I forgot."

"You know, I could come down there and find the surveillance bugs for you." Shepard jested. Garrus just let out a small laugh.

"I can handle a few surveillance bugs, Shepard. No need for you to save my ass more than once." He said.

"And why would I need to save you from surveillance bugs? You obviously have nothing to hide." Shepard teased.

"If Cerberus got wind of my calibrations…they might just promote me to CO. I'm looking out for your career, Shepard." Garrus replied.

"Alright, alright. Obviously you're going to stay glued to that terminal playing Galaxy of Fantasy or whatever it is you actually do on there. Just come up for air once in a while. I can't have you thinking about calibrations all the time." Shepard said.

"No promises, Shepard."

"Commander, you received a new message." Kelly announced. Shepard nodded and opened his inbox. There at the top of the window was a message with the subject line 'I'm still alive.'

Even though the subject was vague, Shepard knew from whom it came from. "Thanks Kelly, I'll take it in my cabin."

Shepard entered the elevator and pressed the top button. The doors closed and the elevator began its ascent.

_Thank god this elevator is faster than the old Normandy's._

The doors opened and Shepard stepped into his cabin. He activated the fish tank's feeding dispenser before sitting down at his desk and opening the message.

"Hey Shepard." The message said. Shepard was surprised that Tali recorded her voice. Everyone else always wrote their letters down.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm okay. We've been out here for a while, but thankfully things are going smoothly for us. We haven't seen any resistance so far. Kal'Reegar says that we shouldn't expect any for a while."

The message paused. Shepard crabbed a cup of coffee sitting on his table and took a sip.

"I miss you. I've been thinking about you since I left, thinking about…us. Keelah, I still can't believe it sometimes. It just seemed so unreal that it happened. But I know it did. And I'm happy that you feel the same way. More than happy. You're always the first thing in my mind when I wake up in the morning. I still get that warm feeling from thinking about it."

The message paused again before Tali started again. "I hope you're being safe out there, Shepard. You know, you never promised me that you'd be careful." She said. Her tone made it obvious she was smiling. "Anyways, just stay safe out there, Shepard. I'd hate to lose my boyfriend. Keelah, I'll have to get use to calling you that. Keelah se'lai, dremo."

Shepard was grinning throughout the whole message. He was curious about what Tali called him at the end of her message.

_Dremo? Must be a term of endearment for quarians._

Shepard set down his cup of coffee and stroked his chin for a few seconds. He pushed a button and began to record a reply.


End file.
